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THE  ARDEN  SHAKESPEARE 


HAMLET. 

Edited  by  Edmund  K.  Chambers,  B.  A.,  Oxford. 
MACBETH. 

Edited  by  Edmund  K.  Chambers,  B.  A.,  Oxford 
JULIUS   CAESAR. 

Edited  by  Arthur  D.  Innes,  M.  A.,  Oxford. 
THE   MERCHANT   OF   VENICE. 

Edited  by  H.  L.  Withers,  B.  A.,  Oxford. 
TWELFTH    NIGHT. 

Edited  by  Arthur  D.  Innes,  M.  A.,  Oxford. 
AS   YOU   LIKE  IT. 

Edited  by  J.  C.  Smith,  M.  A.,  Edinburgh. 
A   MIDSUMMER   NIGHT'S   DREAM. 

Edited  by  Edmund  K.  Chambers,  B.  A,,  Oxford.    , 
CYMBELINE. 

Edited  by  A.  J.  Wyatt,  M.  A.,  Cambridge. 
THE   TEMPEST. 

'     Edited  by  F.  S.  Boas,  M.  A.,  Oxford. 
KING  JOHN. 

Edited  by  G.  C.  Moore  Smith,  M.  A.,  Cambridge 
RICHARD   II. 

Edited  by  C.  H.  Herford,  L.  H.  D.,  Cambridge, 
RICHARD   III. 

Edited  by  George  Macdonald,  M.  A.,  Oxford. 
HENRY   IV  — FIRST   PART 

Edited  by  F.  W.  Moorman,  B.  A.,  Yorkshire  College 
HENRY   V. 

Edited  by  G.  C.  Moore  Smith.  M.  A.,  Cambridge. 
HENRY  VIII. 

Edited  by  D.  Nichol  Smith,  M.  A.,  Edinburgh. 
CORIOLANUS. 

Edited  by  Edmund  K.  Chambers,  B.  A.,  Oxford. 
MUCH   ADO   ABOUT   NOTHING. 

Edited  by  J.  C.  Smith,  M.  A.,  Edinburgh, 
KING  LEAR. 

Edited  by  D.  Nichol  Smith,  M.  A,,  Edinburgh. 

The  remaining  volumes  will  also  be  edited 


Price,  25  cents  per  volume 


tbeatb'g  Engltsb  Classics 


THE  TRAGEDY 


OF 


JULIUS   CJESAR 


EDITED   BY 

ARTHUR   D.    INNES,    M.A. 

SOMETIME  SCHOLAR  OF  ORIEL  COLL.,  OXFORD 

DO  NOT  REPLACE 


BOSTON,  U.  S.  A. 

D.    C.    HEATH    &   CO.,  PUBLISHERS 

1906 


7  s/ 

• 

J 

GENERAL    PREFACE.      / 


IN  this  edition  of  SHAKESPEARE  an  attempt  is  made  to 
present  the  greater  plays  of  the  dramatist  in  their  literary 
aspect,  and  not  merely  as  material  for  the  study  of  philology 
or  grammar.  Criticism  purely  verbal  and  textual  has  only 
been  included  to  such  an  extent  as  may  serve  to  help  the 
student  in  the  appreciation  of  the  essential  poetry.  Questions 
of  date  and  literary  history  have  been  fully  dealt  with  in  the 
Introductions,  but  the  larger  space  has  been  devoted  to  the 
interpretative  rather  than  the  matter-of-fact  order  of  scholar- 
ship. Aesthetic  judgments  are  never  final,  but  the  Editors 
have  attempted  to  suggest  points  of  view  from  which  the 
analysis  of  dramatic  motive  and  dramatic  character  may  be 
profitably  undertaken.  In  the  Notes  likewise,  while  it  is 
hoped  that  all  unfamiliar  expressions  and  allusions  have  been 
adequately  explained,  yet  it  has  been  thought  even  more 
important  to  consider  the  dramatic  value  of  each  scene,  and 
the  part  which  it  plays  in  relation  to  the  whole.  These 
general  principles  are  common  to  the  whole  series  ;  in  detail 
each  Editor  is  alone  responsible  for  the  play  or  plays  that  have 
been  intrusted  to  him . 

Every  volume  of  the  series  has  been  provided  with  a 
Glossary,  an  Essay  upon  Metre,  and  an  Index ;  and  Appen- 
dices have  been  added  upon  points  of  special  interest,  which 
could  not  conveniently  be  treated  in  the  Introduction  or  the 
Notes.  The  text  is  based  by  the  several  Editors  on  that  of 
the  Globe  edition  :  the  only  omissions  made  are  those  that  are 
unavoidable  in  an  edition  likely  to  be  used  by  young  students. 

By  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  introductory  matter, 
and  by  close  attention  to  typographical  details,  every  effort 
has  been  made  to  provide  an^  edition  that  will  prove  con- 
venient in  use. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

GENERAL  PREFACE, 3 

INTRODUCTION,              5 

DRAMATIS  PERSONAE,  20 

JULIUS  C/ESAR.                       2I 

NOTES,    -  84 

APPENDIX  A.— OUTLINE  OF  SHAKESPEARE'S  PROSODY,  127 

APPENDIX  B.—  HISTORICAL  OUTLINES,                          -  134 

GLOSSARY, -  *37 

GENERAL  INDEX, *44 


INTRODUCTION. 


i.  LITERARY  HISTORY  OF  THE  PLAY. 

THE  earliest  known  edition  of  Julius  Casar  is  that  of  the 
First  Folio ,  1623,  in  which  the  plays  were  for  the  first  time 
collected.  We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  text  on  which  it 
was  based;  but  the  passages  which  show  distinct  signs  of 
corruption  are  few :  the  readings  are  rarely  open  to  serious 
question. 

The  means  of  settling  the  date  when  the  play  was  written 
are  to  be  found  (i)  in  references  to  it,  or  in  parallel  passages, 
in  contemporary  writers ;  (2)  in  phrases  here  and  there  in  the 
play  which  point  to  some  particular  period ;  (3)  and  in  char- 
acteristics of  scansion,  construction,  or  thought,  marking  the 
particular  phase  of  the  author's  development. 

(i)  A  passage  is  quoted  from  Dray  ton's  Barons'  Wars> 
1603,  a  revised  edition  of  his  Mortimeriados— 

"  In  whome,  in  peace,  the  elements  all  lay 
Somixt,"  &c. 

which  bears  an  obvious  resemblance  to  Shakespeare's 

"  His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  him, "  &c. 

If  one  of  the  two  authors  was  borrowing  from  the  other,  the 
borrower  was  more  probably  Drayton ;  but  it  is  quite  as  pro- 
bable that  the  case  is  merely  one  of  coincidence,  and  really 
proves  nothing. 

But  in  Weever's  Mirror  of  Martyrs,  1601,  are  the  lines — 

"The  many-headed  multitude  were  drawne 
By  Brutus'  speech,  that  Caesar  was  ambitious. 
When  eloquent  Mark  Antonie  had  shewne 
His  vertues,  who  but  Brutus  then  was  vicious?" 


6  JULIUS   CESAR. 

Weaver's  lines  appear  distinctly  to  refer  to  some  well-known 
account  of  these  orations;  but  they  are  not  based  on  Plu- 
tarch, and  the  inference  is  that  they  are  based  on  Shake- 
speare, unless  both  he  and  Shakespeare  were  familiar  with 
some  other  narrative  of  which  we  know  nothing.  The  pre- 
sumption therefore  is  that  the  play  is  not  later  in  date  than 
1601. 

(2)  At  i.  2.  1 60  are  the  words,  "the  eternal  devil".     Some 
commentators  are  of  opinion  that  '  eternal '  was  substituted 
for  '  infernal '  out  of  deference  to  the  growing  strength  of  the 
public  sentiment  against  the  freedom  of  language   on  the 
stage,  which  culminated  in  the  act  of  James  I.     'Eternal' 
seems  to  have  been  so  substituted  for  '  infernal '  in  two  other 
instances  both   subsequent  to  1600,  but  not  before.     It  is 
extremely  doubtful  whether  Shakespeare  may  not  have  used 
( eternal '  as  the  better  word ;  still  the  alternative  possibility 
points  to  the  play  dating  about  1600. 

(3)  The  arguments  from  scansion  are  discussed  in  the 
appendix  on  prosody,  q.v.,  and  entirely  bear  out  the  view  that 
the  play  belongs  to  the  middle  period  of  Shakespeare's  work- 
manship ;  is  earlier  than  Hamlet,  and  about  the  same  period 
as  Much  Ado,  As  You  Like  It,  and  Twelfth  Night  \  i.e.  be- 
tween 1598  and  1602. 

The  character  of  the  play  itself  leads  to  the  same  con- 
clusion. Shakespeare  seems  to  have  finished  all  the  English 
historical  subjects  he  cared  about  with  Henry  V.  in  1599,  and 
it  seems  improbable  that  until  that  was  done  he  would  have 
gone  farther  afield.  (Henry  VIII.  was  written  to  order  later.) 
Moreover  the  play  constitutes  in  certain  respects  a  new  de- 
parture. The  earlier  tragedies  were  primarily  tragedies  of 
action ;  this  is  primarily  a  tragedy  of  character.  It  is  more 
meditative  and  more  complex ;  the  thoughtful  note  which  is 
characteristic  of  the.  comedies  named  above  is  prominent,  but 
the  philosophic  interest  does  not  predominate  as  in  Hamlet, 
nor  is  there  the  same  intensity  of  emotion  as  in  the  later 
tragedies.  All  of  which  agrees  again  with  the  conclusion 
that  1600  is  the  earliest  and  1601  the  latest  date  at  which  we 
should  expect  to  find  the  play  had  been  written.  Thus  the 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

three  classes  of  evidence  are  entirely  in  harmony,  and 
though  none  of  them  would  be  conclusive,  taken  in  con- 
junction .hey  make  the  date  1600-1601  practically  certain. 

2.  SOURCES  OF  THE  PLAY. 

The  sole  literary  source  of  Shakespeare's  Julius  Casar  was 
Plutarch,  whose  *  Lives'  he  read  in  North's  translation  (the 
mistakes  wherein  he  several  times  repeats,  showing  that  he  had 
not  read  the  original).  North  himself  translated  (1579  and 
1595)  not  from  the  Greek,  but  from  the  French  translation  by 
Amyot  (1559).  I  have  quoted  freely  in  the  notes;  but  the 
student  is  advised  to  read  the  '  Lives '  of  Caesar,  Brutus, 
and  Antony.  Professor  Skeat's  reprint  in  Shakespeare's 
Plutarch  (Macmillan)  is  the  most  convenient  volume. 

A  Latin  play  on  the  same  subject  was  performed  at  Oxford 
in  1582,  from  which  the  '  et  /#,  Brute*  may  have  been  derived; 
and  mention  is  found  of  other  plays  dealing  with  it.  But 
whether  Shakespeare's  play  was  at  all  affected  by  these,  we 
have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  Attention  is  called  in  the 
notes  to  points  which  seem  to  show  conclusively  that  Shake- 
speare had  no  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  classical  writers. 

3.  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  PLAY. 

When  Shakespeare  set  himself  to  write  a  historical  play,  it 
was  not  primarily  his  intention  to  educate  his  audience  in 
historical  details  of  which  they  had  been  previously  ignorant; 
but  he  wrote  as  a  dramatist  who  happened  to  have  found  an 
interesting  story  to  tell  in  the  pages  of  history.  He  treated 
Plutarch  and  Holinshed  very  much  as  he  treated  Boccaccio. 
He  had  not  any  great  regard  for  accuracy  of  detail  for  its  own 
sake,  caring  only  for  its  dramatic  interest.  And  for  that  end, 
speaking  broadly,  it  was  of  much  more  importance  to  follow 
accepted  popular  tradition  than  to  defy  tradition  for  the  sake 
of  strict  historical  precision.  We  all  know  that  in  the  case  of 
the  stories  which  are  most  popular  in  the  nursery,  children 
resent  any  variation  on  the  version  to  which  they  are  accus- 


8  JULIUS  C^SAR. 

tomed;  and  the  great  public  takes  very  much  the  same  view. 
Now  it  may  be  a  very  good  thing  for  the  child  to  have  a 
revised  version  forced  upon  it,  and  it  doubtless  is  an  excellent 
thing  for  the  great  public  to  be  set  right  in  matters  historical; 
but  the  dramatic  interest  suffers  if  your  audience — child  or 
great  public — has  its  attention  turned  to  cavilling  at  your 
innovations  instead  of  to  the  leading  motives  of  the  story. 

Therefore  in  telling  the  story  of  the  fall  of  Caesar  and  of 
the  conspirators  Shakespeare  deliberately  accepted  the  fami- 
liar version  as  presented  in  the  English  translation  of  Plutarch. 
It  was  no  part  of  the  dramatist's  business  to  see  whether 
Plutarch  told  the  truth  in  everything;  whether  his  estimate 
of  the  conspirators  was  a  just  one;  whether  the  supernatural 
accompaniments  were  credible  in  themselves.  It  was  legiti- 
mate from  his  point  of  view  to  use  anything  and  everything 
that  was  dramatically  effective,  and  to  reject  everything  un- 
suited  to  his  purpose. 

That  Shakespeare  followed  his  original  so  closely  as  he 
has  done  is  no  small  tribute  to  the  admirably  artistic  char- 
acter of  Plutarch's  narrative.  There  is  hardly  a  point  in  the 
play  which  is  not  directly  suggested  in  the  Life  of  Csesar,  or 
Brutus,  or  Antony.  None  of  the  characters  vary  appreciably 
from  their  portraits  as  drawn  by  Plutarch.  The  very  argu- 
ments used  in  the  various  discussions  are  reproduced  from 
the  same  source.  Omens  and  portents  reappear  with  hardly 
a  change  of  importance  except  in  one  particular — the  sub- 
stitution of  Caesar's  ghost  for  Brutus'  'evil  angel'.  In  short, 
the  whole  of  Shakespeare's  material  is  in  Plutarch ;  yet  the 
play  is  as  completely  original,  as  entirely  Shakespearian,  as 
a  picture  by  Turner  is  a  Turner  and  nothing  else.  To  say 
that  Shakespeare  borrowed  from  Plutarch  would  be  a  good 
deal  like  saying  that  Turner  '  borrowed '  from  a  landscape. 

The  play  of  Julius  Ccesar  has  one  characteristic  in  a  very 
much  more  marked  degree  than  any  other  of  Shakespeare's 
plays — in  the  way  in  which  it  is  pervaded  by  the  notion  ofjrre- 
sistible  Destiny.  Some  such  effect  accompanies  almost  of 
necessity  any  serious  introduction  of  the  supernatural :  but 
neither  in  Macbeth  nor  in  Hamlet  is  the  idea  present  with  any- 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

thing  like  the  same  force  as  in  the  play  with  which  we  are  now 
dealing,  though  it  accompanies  Octavius  through  Antony  and 
Cleopatra.  The  feeling  that  the  events  of  greatest  import  in  the 
world's  history  are  beyond  the  manipulation  of  the  actors  in 
them— that  in  these  high  matters,  at  any  rate, 

' '  There 's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will " — 

seems  to  permeate  the  whole  play.  Caesar  sometimes  speaks 
as  if  he  would  have  said  of  Destiny  what  he  does  say  of 

Danger — 

"  We  are  two  lions  littered  in  one  day  " : 

yet  it  is  he  who  says 

"  What  can  be  avoided, 
Whose  end  is  purposed  by  the  mighty  gods?" 

Cassius  can  proclaim  with  Epicurean  fervour  that 

"The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  stars,  ) 
But  in  ourselves,  that  we  are  underlings" ;  / 

but  even  he  is  thoroughly  possessed  with  the  sense  of  doom 
at  the  end  of  the  play.  And  the  whole  of  the  supernatural 
machinery  is  utilized  to  farther  this  same  effect.  If  the  over- 
ruling powers  so  will  it,  we  cannot  calculate  that  the  normal 
result  will  follow  any  given  act  or  event.  The  owl  hooting  in 
the  market-place  is  simply  a  reminder  that  the  ultimate  con- ) 
trol  of  things  is  beyond  calculation  or  human  management.  ^ 
And  most  of  all,  the  idea  i  ^  embodied  in  the  person  of  the  boy 
Octavius,  who  impresses  e  throughout  as  the  instrument  of 
Fate :  triumphant  over  utus  and  Cassius,  and  one  day  to 
triumph  over  Antony,  not  because  he  is  nobler  or  abler  than 
they,  but  because  he  is  he  chosen  means  for  fulfilling  the 
will  of  heaven. 

At  the  same  time  it  would  be  an  error  to  base  any  argument 
as  to  Shakespeare's  own  belief  n  omens,  spirits,  and  the  like 
on  his  use  of  them  in  the  play  They  are  appropriate  dra- 
matically because  they  are  part  of  the  accepted  narrative. 
Whether  the  things  reported  ever  actually  took  place,  or  are 
really  credible,  is  of  no  consequence;  they  are  true,  so  to 


io  JULIUS  CAESAR. 

speak,  as  illustrations,  whether  true  or  not  in  fact.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  tale  as  toldrm  the  play  which  the  stoutest  01 
sceptics  need  complain  of.  (jn  most  of  the  signs  and  portents, 
from  the  appearance  of  the  owl  down  to  Cassius  being  slain 
with  the  very  sword  that  slew  Caesar,  there  is  nothing  in- 
herently incredible.  Casca's  assertions  in  i.  3  and  Cal- 
purnia's  in  ii.  2  are  made  in  each  case  by  a  person  in  an 
extreme  state  of  superstitious  alarm.  All  these  things  inten- 
sify the  feeling  of  doom;  they  affect  us,  so  to  speak,  with  the 
electricity  in  the  atmosphere :  but  they  do  so  independently 
of  the  view  we  may  take  of  their  explanation,  and  they  convey 
no  hint  of  what  Shakespeare  himself  believed.  It  is  charac- 
teristic of  the  great  dramatist  that  he  never  does  give  us  a 
clue  to  his  own  opinion  on  most  subjects.  We  go  on  the 
general  principle  that  if  any  of  his  characters  pronounces  an 
opinion  with  which  we  agree,  that  was  Shakespeare's  own 
view;  and  if  another  pronounces  a  view  with  which  we  dis- 
agree, that  was  not  the  opinion  of  Shakespeare.  In  fact,  as 
with  life  in  general  so  with  Shakespeare's  plays :  every  man 
finds  there  conclusive  proof  that  his  own  ideas  on  any  subject 
are  correct. 

So  it  may  plausibly  be  argued  from  this  play  that  Shake- 
speare was  a  Republican  or  a  Monarchist,  a  naturalist  or  a 
supernaturalist,  that  he  condoned  or  condemned  assassination 
— the  plain  fact  being  thlt  he  no  more  sets  about  teaching 
views  than  Nature  does,  i  He  shows  us  the  truth  of  things, 
I  and  lets  his  characters  tefl  what  they  think  about  them,  and 
•leaves  us  to  draw  our  own  conclusions./  And  just  as  we  can 
draw  from  an  examination  of  natural  oojects  or  actual  events 
inferences  and  conclusions  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
certainty,  so  we  can  extract  lessons  and  guiding  principles 
from  Shakespeare's  plays.  They  are  the  same  lessons,  the 
same  guiding  principles,  which  we  should  extract  from  an 
intelligent  study  of  the  life  around  us;  only  that  we  are  re- 
lieved from  the  difficulty  of  having  to  disencumber  ourselves 
of  trivial  and  barren  details  which  are  often  misleading.  The 
salient  facts  are  collected  for  us  denuded  of  the  superfluous 
circumstances. 


INTRODUCTION.  II 

Although  the  play  is  named  after  Julius  Caesar  there  is  no 
question  that  in  fact  the  hero  of  thf  pipre  ii  Marrns  Rrntm 
So  far  at  least  as  character  is  concerned  the  interest  he  in- 
spires altogether  overshadows  that  of  the  rest  of  the  dramatis 
persona,  and  we  are  somewhat  apt  to  draw  from  a  hasty 
reading  a  more  superficial  and  erroneous  idea  of  the  other 
principal  performers  than  is  usual  in  Shakespeare's  plays. 

Thus  the  first  idea  that  we  get  of  Caesar  is  that  he  is  a 
good  deal  of  a  braggart,  decidedly  superstitious  while  pre- 
tending to  a  contempt  for  superstition,  overweening,  with 
more  gasconade  than  real  dignity;  justifying,  or  at  any  rate 
fairly  excusing  the  bitter  terms  in  which  Cassius  speaks  of 
him.  Nevertheless  a  closer  study  reveals  something  very 
different.  Cassius  cries  out  in  amazement  that 

"  A  man  of  such  a  feeble  temper  should 
So  get  the  start  of  the  majestic  world  ", 

and  we  are  inclined  to  agree.     But  to  Antony  he  is 

"the  noblest  man 
That  ever  lived  in  the  tide  of  times  " 

Brutus  calls  him  "  the  foremost  man  of  all  this  world ",  and 

says 

"  I  have  not  known  when  his  affections  swayVi 
More  than  his  reason"; 

so  that  the  position  requires  to  be  reconsidered.  The  ex- 
planation seems  to  lie  in  this,  that/  Caesar  appears  in  the 
flesh  at  perhaps  the  least  favourable  moment  in  his  career  :  - 
the  brief  instant  in  which  he  might  \£e  excused  for  allowing 
himself  to  lapse  into  arrogance.  <  JJe  has  attained  complete 
mastery :  the  last  remnant  of  open  opposition  has  just  Been 
crushed  at  Munda,  and  the  great  conqueror  stands  on  a 
height  such  as  had  never  yet  been  attained  by  mortal  man. 
There  is  plenty  for  him  yet  to  do,  but  in  the  brief  interval  the 
strain  is  relaxed ;  for  the  time  he  can  afford  to  give  rein  to 
the  frailties  of  his  nature  and  display  the  weaknesses  of 
ordinary  men.  In  the  play  we  are  shown  nothing  of  the] 
means  whereby  he  attained  to  that  eminence — the  greatnessj 


12  JULIUS   C/ESAR. 

is  taken  for  granted.  We  have  but  the  touch  here  and  there 
that  reminds  us  of  it,  in  the  shrewd  characterization  of  Cassius 
which  marks  the  judge  of  men ;  in  the  right  kingly  "  What 
touches  us  ourself,  shall  be  last  served  ". 

Now,  it  is  the  human  frailties  of  Caesar  which  make  the 
attitude  of  the  conspirators  intelligible.  (Tassius  argues  his 
whole  case  on  the  ground  that  Caesar  himself  is  no  better  a 
man  than  his  neighbours.  His  discourse  to  Brutus  would  be 
too  palpably  splenetic  if  Caesar's  conduct  did  not  give  it  some 
colour,  though  Caesar  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  only  doing  so  by 
accident — acting,  so  to  speak,  out  of  his  true  character,  be- 
lieving as  he  does  merely  because  the  occasion  offers  a  fair 
excuse  for  his  falling  below  himself.  But  it  is  the  greatness 
of  Caesar  which  justifies  the  denouement.  The  conspirators 
from  Brutus  down  had  read  him  wrong.  While  he  lived  he 
?was  the  incarnation  of  the  new,JnevitableT  order  nf  thing-*;. 
SWhen  slain,  he  is  not  dead ;  he  is  the  spirit  pervading  the 
/world ;  the  good  angel  of  Octavius  as  he  is  the  ill  angel  of 
/Brutus.  Perhaps  that  is  why  the  vision  recorded  in  Plutarch 
is  changed  to  the  apparition  of  Caesar's  Ghost.  In  his  person 
Sthe  conspirators  attempted  to  overthrow  destiny;  it  is  by 
)  the  murdered  Caesar  that  they  themselves  are  overthrown. 

Cassius  is  perhaps  more  liable  to  misinterpretation  than  any 
other  character  in  the  play.  We  are  tempted  at  sight  to  sup- 
pose merely  that  he  was  an  ill-tempered  man  with  a  personal 
grudge  against  Caesar,  and  that  he  concocted  the  conspiracy 
solely  to  satisfy  his  rancour,  inveigling  others  into  it  by 
assuming  the  airs  of  a  patriot  while  plotting  to  gratify  his 
personal  spleen  at  the  expense  of  almost  unlimited  blood- 
shed. 

These  merely  personal  motives,  however,  are  quite  insuffi- 
cient. The  idea  of  being  the  slave  of  a  man  no  better  than 

himself— 

"  I  had  as  lief  not  be,  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself  "- 

is  abhorrent  to  him,  and  his  bitterness  is  indefinitely  increased 
by  his  misconception  of  Caesar  himself.  But  his  hatred  of 
the  tyrant  needs  to  be  reinforced  by  his  genuine  political 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

hatred  of  monarchy  in  the  abstract.  He  will  in  no  wise 
endure  to  be  a  bondsman  himself;  but,  though  only  in  a 
secondary  degree,  he  would  have  all  Romans  free.  He  cares 
little  whether  Caesar  is  formally  crowned,  but  that  Caesar  or 
anyone  else  should  have  absolute  power  is  intolerable.  He  is 
perfectly  honest  in  his  sentiments ;  they  are  not  invented  to 
deceive  Brutus.  He  wants  Brutus  to  share  the  leadership  at 
least,  not  to  make  a  mere  tool  of  him.  From  end  to  end  of 
the  play,  he  does  his  best  to  induce  Brutus  to  take  his  own 
view  of  what  ought  to  be  done ;  but  he  always  gives  way  if 
his  persuasion  fails.  Cicero  is  excluded ;  Antony  is  spared, 
and  subsequently  allowed  to  speak  at  the  funeral ;  the  for- 
tunes of  the  conspirators  are  staked  on  a  great  battle — in 
each  case  Cassius  withdraws  his  opposition  in  deference  to 
Brutus,  whom  he  loves ;  in  each  case  we  know  that  Brutus 
was  wrong  and  Cassius  right :  yet  Cassius  has  no  reproach 
for  his  colleague,  attempts  no  rivalry  with  him,  acts  through- 
out with  an  admirable  loyalty.  And  to  appreciate  all  this 
fully,  we  must  remember  that  he  is  drawn  always  as  a  man 
with  a  fiery  temper,  irritable  and  passionate,  to  whom  it  was 
singularly  galling  to  be  crossed. 

Certainly  Cassius  is  not  a  hero.  Higmpral  standard  is  not 
frf  the  highesL-  When  he  has  an  end  iiTvTe"w,  he  lias  TioTn- 
clination  to  palter  about  the  means.  He  has  j^p  qualms  of 
-coasciezjice  IS-the  matter  of  removing;  Antony  as  well  as 
Caesar ;  he  will  not  cavil  at  the  measures  taken  by  nis  lieu- 
tenants for  raising  money — 

"  In  such  a  time  as  this,  it  is  not  meet 
That  every  nice  offence  should  bear  his  comment ". 

He  allows  his  political  convictions  to  be  coloured  by  his  per- 
sonal feelings,  his  '  affections  sway  more  than  his  reason '  to 
an  extent  which  is  utterly  destructive  of  statesmanship.  But 
if  that  applies  to  his  hatred  of  Caesar,  it  applies  no  less  to  his 
love  for  Brutus.  In  spite  of  his  angry  temper,  his  followers 
are  devoted  to  him ;  Titinius  slays  himself  on  the  body  of  his 
dead  chief;  tc  Brutus  he  is  "the  last  of  all  the  Romans". 
And  intellectually  he  stands  out  from  the  rest  of  the  conspir- 


I4  JULIUS   CESAR. 

ators  as  incomparably  the  shrewdest ;  the  man  who  can  take 
an  initiative ;  who  sees  the  course  which  policy  requires ;  who 
understands  other  men  and  knows  their  true  value  and 
danger,  unless  he  is  blinded  by  personal  prejudice.  He 
reads  Casca  like  a  book ;  he  can  even  manage  Brutus  to 
some  extent ;  he  alone  recognizes  the  latent  capacities  of  the 
arch-foe  Antony. 

It  is  the  moral  elevation  of  Brutus  which  makes  us  forget 

the  great  qualities  that  are  in  Cassius  ;  and  in  that  moral 

;  elevation  is  the  essence  of  the  tragedy,  because  it  is  in  great 

I  part  directly  responsible  for  the  failure,  the  ultimate  defeat,  of 

^the  project  to  which  Brutus  had  devoted  himself.     That  is  a 

rather  dangerous  statement  on  the  face  of  it,  requiring  some 

explanation. 

The  problem  with  which  Brutus  has  to  deal  is  a  complex 
one ;  the  motives  which  stir  his  coadjutors  are  various.     No 
one  knows  better  than  the  arch-conspirator,  Cassius,  that  the 
assassination  is  very  difficult  to  justify,  and  that  most  of  those 
who  take  part  in  it  are  not^actuated  by  a  spirit  of  abstract 
justice;  that  the  cause  is  not  good  enough  to   depend  for 
success  on  strenuous  moral  conviction.    Now  had  every  man 
^engaged  in  the  conspiracy  been  as  Brutus  was — unmoved  by 
(personal  resentments  and  jealousies,  and  wholly  convinced 
^hat  the  act   was   right — the  movement  would  have   been 
(attended  by  that  moral  force  which  would  have  carried  public 
{feeling  irresistibly  along  with  it.     As  it  was,  public  feeling 
could  be  counted  on  to  only  a  very  limited  extent,  and  re- 
quired to  be  supported  by  the  active  exercise  of  physical 
force.     Brutus,  strong  in  his  own  conviction  of  the  righteous- 
\  ness  of  his  cause,  measuring  his  companions  and  even  the 
S  general  public  by  his  own  standard,  confident  that  it  needs 
)  nothing  more  than  a  plain  statement  of  the  case  to  ensure 
/the  support  of  any  honest  rjatriot,  insists  on  being  content 
^  with  the  death  of  Caesar  himself,  on  letting  loose  Antony  to 
\  fire  the  popular  mind,  on  letting  go  the  means  absolutely 
j  required  to  make  a  miscellaneous  army  efficient.     The  purity 
of  his  own  motives  prevents  him  from  seeing  the  selfishness 
in  those  of  his  companions,  or  the  immense  moral  weight 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

thrown  into  the  other  scale  by  the  spectacle  of  Caesar  falling 
beneath  the  daggers  of  men  whom  he  held  among  his  dearest 
friends.  When  Brutus  is  fully  convinced  Jthat  the  act  is 
J3ght+l\t  seems  to  him  that  the  fact  that  he,  "  Caesar's  angel", 
endorses  it  must  convince  every  one  that  its  justification  is 
overwhelming.  But  to  the  world  the  act  really  appears  to  be 
one  of  rank  personal  treachery  and  disloyalty.  Brutus  loved 
the  man  he  slew,  but  slew  him  for  the  general  good  ;  but  the 
onlookers  saw  him  repaying  the  trust  of  Caesar  by  murdering 
him.  In  fact  the  plot  was  a  moral  shock  to  the  world,  and  it 
was  therefore  utterly  hopeless  to  carry  through  the  policy  in- 
tended on  high  moral  grounds  alone.  It  followed  then  that 
the  enterprise  was  J9r£dfioniedjto  failure^  unless,  in  the  em- 
ployment of  means,  the  dictates  of  expediency  were  allowed 
to  carry  weight  against  those  of  abstract  justice. 

In  his  very  blindness  to  this  lies  much  of  the  beauty  of 
Brutus7  character.  He  is  so  single-minded  himself  that  he 
cannot  realize  the  duplicity  of  others ;  sojmselfish,  that  he 
credits  every  one  else  with  a  like  purity  of  motive.  Having 
made  up  his  mind  that  a  certain  course  will  be  right  {/"it  can 
be  carried  out  in  completeness,  he  never  asks  whether  it  can 
be  so  carried  out  without  stooping  to  base  methods,  such  as 
he  will  never  countenance.  The  merely  practical  person, 
having  fixed  on  the  end,  adopts  the  surest  means  without 
consideration  of  their  moral  justification;  the  entirely  un- 
practical person  assumes  that  because  the  end  is  desirable,  it 
must  be  attainable  by  means  of  which  he  will  approve.  It  is 
possible,  however,  to  be  as  conscientious  as  Brutus,  without 
ceasing  to  be  practical— but  then  the  cost  must  be  counted 
beforehand,  and  the  fact  that  the  end  cannot  be  attained  will 
be  recognized. 

Brutus  fails  therefore  because  his  unselfishness,  his  genuine 
patriotism,  his  conscientiousness,  are  combined  with  a  want  ' 
of  judgment,  an  ignorance  of  men,  a  want  of  insight  in  affairs,  ( 
which  utterly  unfit  him  for  leadership.    He  is  not  wrecked  by  J 
^the  vacillation  of  Hamlet,  the  passion  of  Othello ;  he  does  not 
swerve  because  he  has  a  divided  mind,  nor  suffer  feeling  to 
outweigh  reason ;  but  Jie_j^aso««-w^ongly.    He  trusts  his  own 


16  JULIUS  CESAR. 

judgment,  because  he  does  not  realize  that  the  assumptions 
from  which  he  reasons  are  incorrect.  He  jias^lived  with 
booksj  and  does^jipt_understand  Jhe  workTaround  him. 
Caesar's  dictatorship  fills  him  with  dismay ;  but  it  is  not  so 
much  the  actual  absolutism  which  shocks  him  as  the  fear  that 
Caesar  will  claim  a  crown :  whereas  Cassius  cares  little  about 
the  coronation  except  so  far  as  he  can  use  the  fear  of  it  as  a 
lever  to  get  rid  of  the  monarch.  He  judges  Antony  by  pre- 
possessions— no  man  of  the  world  would  have  assumed  that 
there  was  nothing  to  fear  in  Antony  because  he  was  given 
"  to  sports,  to  wildness,  and  much  company" ;  or  have  been 
soothed  by  his  artfully-worded  message  into  cheerful  trust- 
fulness. He  takes  for  granted  that  a  Roman  mob  will 
placidly  accept  his  assurance  of  high  motives,  and  be  con- 
vinced by  his  nicely-balanced  reasoning— without  a  suspicion 
that  the  entire  effect  might  be  scattered  to  the  winds  by  a 
skilful  appeal  to  popular  passion.  He  sternly  rebukes 
Cassius  for  wringing  "  from  the  hard  hands  of  peasants  their 
vile  trash",  and  would  never  dream  of  doing  it  himself;  but  it 
never  occurs  to  him  that  when  he  calls  on  Cassius  to  aid  him 
with  supplies  he  is  practically  compelling  his  colleague  to 
resort  to  such  pressure  in  order  that  he  may  have  supplies  to 
give. 

It  is  thoroughly  consistent  with  all  this  that  he  is  uncon- 
sciously open  to  flattery,  and  ready  to  be  beguiled  by  it ;  for 
that  is  part  of  his  own  supreme  honesty.  Never  stooping  to 
flattery  himself,  conscious  of  his  own  integrity,  he  assumes  a 
like  honesty  in  his  companions ;  he  counts  their  praises  as 
genuine  expressions  of  conviction,  not  artful  methods  of 
persuasion;  he  sees  no  double  meanings,  because  his  own 
meaning  is  always  so  simple  and  direct.  It  is  a  phase  not  of 
conceit  but  of  simplicity.  This  simplicity js  in  fact  the  key- 
note of  his  character;  its  combination  with  his  natural 
tenderness  of  disposition  makes  up  the  whole  man  who  is  so 
lovable.  This  tenderness  comes  out  alike  in  the  way  he 
yearns  over  Caesar  himself  and  over  the  woes  he  is  bringing 
upon  the  Roman  world;  and  in  his  gentleness  to  the  boy 
Lucius,  his  consideration  for  Claudius  and  Varro,  his  affec- 

(881) 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

tion  for  Portia,  his  readiness  to  be  reconciled  with  Cassius ; 
it  justifies  the  warmth  of  the  regard  which  all  his  followers 
show  for  him ;  it  explains  the  fact  that  his  arch-enemy  has 
words  to  say  of  him  as  kindly  as  his  dearest  friends.  In  fine, 
he  is  a  very  noble  gentleman,  seeking  to  accomplish  what 
could  only  be  effected  by  a  very  able  man.  Being  both  un- 
practical and  impracticable  he  fails  completely ;  and  yet  he 
leaves  on  our  minds  the  feeling  that  the  high  panegyric  pro- 
nounced over  his  dead  body  by  Antony  is  well  deserved,  and 
that  it  comes  most  fittingly  and  rightly  from  his  most  im- 
placable foe.  l| 

The  character  of  Antony  ^s  not  completed  in  this  play; 
in  its  strength  and  weakness  it  is  fully  presented  in  Antony 
and  Cleopatra.  The  most  noteworthy  points  of  it  are  shown 
vin  the  great  scene  of  the  funeral  oration,  and  will  be  found 
treated  at  considerable  length  in  the  notes.  Perfectly  re- 
morseless, he  has  very  strong  affections  and  is  genuinely 
devoted  to  Caesar,  while  he  is  capable  of  a  generous  appreci- 
ation in  Brutus  of  virtues  which  he  lacks  himself.  His  great 
capacities  are  to  be  wrecked  by  his  uncontrollable  passions  \\ 
but  as  yet  the  passions  have  not  broken  loose.  What  we  are 
here  impressed  by  is  his  extraordinary  brilliancy  and  power 
of  rising  to  a  crisis,  combined  with  the  intensity  of  his  per- 
sonal feelings,  and  his  complete  absence  of  scruple.  He^has 
.no  hesitation  in  abusing  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  Brutus, 
and  absoluteJ^jleJiin&.tne  spirit  of  his  promis_e  while  he  ad,-, 
heres  to  its  letter;  nor  has  he  any  qualms  about  using  Lepidus 
as  a  temporary  tool,  to  be  tossed  on  one  side  when  con- 
venient. When  his  personal  feelings  are  stirred  and  his 
affections  warmly  engaged  he  is  ready  to  face  any  danger  or 
difficulty;  but  he  has  no  sense  of  moral  obligation  whatever. 

Qctavius  is  his  foil — as  cold  and  calm  and  stubborn  as^ 
Antony^  fiery~ancTimpulsive ;  as  remorseless,  as  unscrupu- 
lous, as  unflinching — we  feel  here,  as  we  feel  with  treble  force 
in  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  that  he  is  resistless,  unvanquish- 
able,  the  chosen  instrument  of  Fate  that  will  not  be  denied. 

The  parts  of  Portia  and  Calpurnia  are  small,  but  they 
afford  an  effective  and  artistic  contrast  in  their  appropriateness 

(831)  B 


I*  JULIUS  CESAR. 

I 

to  the  wives  of  their  respective  husbands*.  Calpurnia  is  merely 
Caesar's  shadow;  she  is  devoted  to  him,  but  seems  to  have  no 
independent  existence ;  makes  no  claim  to  be  accounted  his 
companion,  but  allows  her  fears  to  make  her  importunate — 
not  for  trust  and  confidence,  but  to  have  her  way.  Portia,  on 
the  contrary,  has  a  marked  and  vigorous  personality;  her 
womanly  fears  are  as  strong  as  Calpurnia's,  but  she  will  not 
let  them  master  her.  If  her  husband  is  to  be  in  danger  she 
would  fain  share  it;  if  she  may  not  do  so  in  the  body  she 
claims  the  right  to  be  with  him  in  spirit;  but  she  will  in  no- 
wise allow  her  fears  to  hamper  his  action.  Not  till  she  feels 
that  she  has  put  her  powers  of  self-control  to  the  proof,  not 
till  she  knows  herself  worthy,  does  she  claim  her  right  to  stand 
forth  as  her  husband's  counsellor  and  comrade;  but  when  she 
does  claim  it,  it  is  not  as  a  favour  but  as  an  uncontrovertible 
right. 

There  are  only  two  others  of  the  dramatis  persona  who 
need  some  reference  here — Casca  and  Cicero.  Each,  rather 
curiously,  affords  an  instance  of  slight  deviation  from 
Plutarch.  Of  Casca's  character,  indeed,  the  historian  gives 
very  little  suggestion.  But  he  mentions  that  at  the  assassi- 
nation Casca  cried  out  in  Greek-,  whereas  Shakespeare  makes 
him  scoff  at  Cicero  for  quoting  Greek,  much  as  an  ultra- 
insular  Englishman  might  scoff  at  a  French  quotation.  In 
the  play  Casca  assumes  prominence,  not  as  a  particularly 
important  conspirator,  but  to  serve  as  a  foil  to  Cassius.  He 
is  a  man  without  strength  or  decision  of  character,  but  anxious 
to  pass  for  the  honest,  sturdy  citizen.  Afraid  of  Cassius' 
cleverness,  he  wishes  above  everything  to  get  credit  with  him 
for  being  clever  and  energetic;  and  is  generally  ready  to 
profess  entire  agreement  with  anyone  who  expresses  himself 
vigorously  enough.  The  extravagance  of  his  superstitious 
terrors  is  merely  another  phase  of  the  same  weakness  which 
he  commonly  endeavours  to  conceal  under  a  mask  of  cynical 
indifference  or  brusquerie. 

Though  Cicero  speaks  very  little  and  is  spoken  of  hardly 
more,  we  have  a  singularly  distinct  impression  of  him :  a 
man  with  the  emotional  irritability  of  a  passionate  orator 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

(i.  2.  185),  and  the  sententious  manner  of  one  who  esteems 
himself  a  philosopher  (i.  3).  We  observe  also  that  his  ad- 
herence to  any  cause  would  give  it  an  air  of  respectability 
(ii.  i.  141),  but  that  Brutus  objects  to  him  on  the  ground  of 
his  dislike  to  regarding  anyone  else  as  his  leader.  It  is  in 
this  last  point  that  the  divergence  from  Plutarch  appears;  as 
the  conspirators  are  described  as  rejecting  him  on  the  ground 
that  he  was  too  timid  to  commit  himself  loyally  to  so 
dangerous  a  scheme.  Shakespeare's  outline  is  in  fact 
thoroughly  consistent  with  all  we  know  of  the  man ;  but  on 
the  particular  point  it  is  pretty  certain  that  Plutarch  was  right. 
Shakespeare's  conception  of  him  was  probably  derived  from 
casual  impressions  picked  up  from  incidental  allusions  to  the 
great  orator  which  he  had  come  across  in  his  miscellaneous 
reading. 

Although  there  is  abundance  of  action  in  the  play,  the 
whole  drama  is  one  of  character  rather  than  action.  This  is 

the  justification  of  the  fourth  act,  which  somewhat  impedes  , 
the  action,  but  strengthens  the  feeling  of  reality  in  the  whole: 
because  it  explains  how  Brutus  and  Cassius  managed  to  work 
together;  how,  with  tempers  so  opposite  and  with  such  different 
conceptions  of  the  task  before  them,  they  were  not  sundered 
as  Antony  and  Octavius  were  subsequently  sundered ;  while 
it  affords  an  admirable  opportunity  of  drawing  out  the  most 
fundamental  characteristics  of  the  two  men. 

For  purposes  of  reference,  the  Globe  text  is  now  recognized 
generally  as  the  standard.  That  text  and  numbering  of  lines 
have  therefore  been  adhered  to  with  scarcely  any  change, 
and  such  changes  are  mentioned  in  the  notes.  As  a  rule, 
even  where  the  present  editor  thinks  that  some  alteration 
might  be  preferable,  he  has  only  called  attention  in  the  notes 
to  his  reasons  instead  of  actually  changing  the  text. 


DRAMATIS   PERSONS. 


•  conspirators  against  Julius  Caesar. 


JULIUS  CESAR. 

OCTAVIUS  CAESAR,  "v 

MARCUS  ANTONIUS,       >  triumvirs  after  the  death  of  Julius  Caesar. 

M.  ^EMILIUS  LEPIDUS,^ 

CICERO^  ^| 

PUBLIUS,  V  senators. 

POPILIUS  LENA,J 

MARCUS  BRUTUS, 

CASSIUS, 

CASCA, 

TREBONIUS, 

LIGAKIUS, 

DECIUS  BRUTUS, 

METELLUS  CIMBER, 

ClNNA, 

FLAVIUS  and  MARULLUS,  tribunes. 

ARTBMIDORUS  of  Cnidos,  a  teacher  of  Rhetoric. 

A  Soothsayer. 

CINNA,  a  poet.     Another  Poet. 

LUCILIUS,       "\ 

TITINIUS, 

MESSALA,        V  friends  to  Brutus  and  Cassius. 

Young  CATO,  I 

VOLUMNIUS,  ) 

VARRO, 

CLITUS, 

CLAUDIUS, 

STRATO, 

Lucius, 

DARDANIUS, 

PINDARUS,  servant  to  Cassius. 

CALPURNIA,  wife  to  Caesar. 
PORTIA,  wife  to  Brutus. 

Senators,  Citizens,  Guards,  Attendants,  &c. 
SCENE:  Rome:  the  neighbourhood  ofSardis:  the  neighbourhood  of  Philippi 


+  servants  to  Brutus. 


JULIUS   CESAR. 


ACT   I. 

SCENE  I.    Rome.    A  street. 
Enter  FLAVIUS,  MARULLUS,  and  certain  Commoners. 

Flav.  Hence !  home,  you  idle  creatures,  get  you  home : 
Is  this  a  holiday?  what  I  know  you  not, 
Being  mechanical,  you  ought  not  walk 
Upon  a  labouring  day  without  the  sign 
Of  your  profession?    Speak,  what  trade  art  thou? 

First  Com.  Why,  sir,  a  carpenter. 

Mar.  Where  is  thy  leather  apron  and  thy  rule  ? 
,What  dost  thou  with  thy  best  apparel  on  ? 
You.  sir,  what  trade  are  you? 

Sec.  Com.  Truly,  sir,  in  respect  of  a  fine  workman,  I  am 
but,  as  you  would  say,  a  cobbler.  1 1 

Mar.  But  what  trade  art  thou?  answer  me  directly. 

Sec.  Com.  A  trade,  sir,  that,  I  hope,  I  may  use  with  a  safe 
conscience;  which  is,  indeed,  sir,  a  mender  of  bad  soles. 

Mar.  What  trade,  thou  knave?  thou  naughty  knave,  what 
trade? 

Sec.  Com.  Nay,  I  beseech  you,  sir,  be  not  out  with  me:  yet, 
if  you  be  out,  sir,  I  can  mend  you. 

Mar.  What  meanest  thou  by  that?  mend  me,  thou  saucy 
fellow!  21 

Sec.  Com.  Why,  sir,  cobble  you. 

Flav.  Thou  art  a  cobbler,  art  thou? 

Sec.  Com.  Truly,  sir,  all  that  I  live  by  is  with  the  awl :  I 
meddle  with  no  tradesman's  matters,  nor  women's  matters, 
but  with  awl.  I  am,  indeed,  sir,  a  surgeon  to  old  shoes; 
when  they  are  in  great  danger,  I  recover  them.  As  proper 
men  as  ever  trod  upon  neat's  leather  have  gone  upon  my 
handiwork.  30 

Flav.  But  wherefore  art  not  in  tfyy  shop  to-day? 
Why  dost  thou  lead  these  men  about  the  streets  ? 

Sec.  Com.  Truly,  sir,  to  wear  out  their  shoes,  to  get  myself 
into  more  work.  But,  indeed,  sin  we  make  holiday,  to  see 
Caesar  and  to  rejoice  in  his  triumph. 


22  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  I. 

Mar.  Wherefore  rejoice?   What  conquest  brings  he  home ? 
What  tributaries  follow  him  to  Rome, 
To  grace  in  captive  bonds  his  chariot- wheels  ? 
You  blocks,  you  stones,  you  worse  than  senseless  things ! 
O  you  hard  hearts,  you  cruel  men  of  Rome,  41 

Knew  you  not  Pompey?     Many  a  time  and  oft 
Have  you  climb'd  up  to  walls  and  battlements, 
To  towers  and  windows,  yea,  to  chimney-tops, 
Your  infants  in  your  arms,  and  there  have  sat 
The  live-long  day,  with  patient  expectation, 
To  see  great  Pompey  pass  the  streets  of  Rome: 
And  when  you  saw  his  chariot  but  appear, 
Have  you  not  made  an  universal  shout, 

That  Tiber  trembled  underneath  her  banks,  50 

To  hear  the  replication  of  your  sounds 
Made  in  her  concave  shores? 
And  do  you  now  put  on  your  best  attire  ? 
And  do  you  now  cull  out  a  holiday? 
And  do  you  now  strew  flowers  in  his  way 
That  comes  in  triumph  over  Pompey's  blood? 
Be  gone ! 

Run  to  your  houses,  fall  upon  your  knees, 
Pray  to  the  gods  to  intermit  the  plague 
That  needs  must  light  on  this  ingratitude.  60 

Flav.  Go,  go,  good  countrymen,  and,  for  this  fault, 
Assemble  all  the  poor  men  of  your  sort ; 
Draw  them  to  Tiber  banks,  and  weep  your  tears 
Into  the  channel,  till  the  lowest  stream 
Do  kiss  the  most  exalted  shores  of  all. 

[Exeunt  all  the  Commoners. 
See,  whether  their  basest  metal  be  not  moved ; 
They  vanish  tongue-tied  in  their  guiltiness. 
Go  you  down  that  way  towards  the  Capitol ; 
This  way  will  I :  disrobe  the  images, 
If  you  do  find  them  deck'd  with  ceremonies.  70 

Mar.  May  we  do  so? 
You  know  it  is  the  feast  of  Lupercal. 

Flav.  It  is  no  matter;  let  no  images 
Be  hung  with  Caesar's  trophies.     I  '11  about, 
And  drive  away  the  vulgar  from  the  streets : 
So  do  you  too,  where  you  perceive  them  thick. 
These  growing  feathers  pluck'd  from  Caesar's  wing 
Will  make  him  fly  an  ordinary  pitch, 

Who  else  would  soar  above  the  view  of  men  79 

And  keep  us  all  in  servile  fearfulness.  {Exeunt. 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  23 

SCENE  II.    A  public  place. 

Flourish.  Enter  C^SAR  ;  ANTONY,  for  the  course;  CAL- 
PURNIA, PORTIA,  DECIUS,  CICERO,  BRUTUS,  CASSIUS, 
and  CASCA;  a  great  crowd  following^  among  them  a 
Soothsayer. 

Cces.  Calpurnia! 

Casca.  Peace,  ho  !  Caesar  speaks. 

Cces.  Calpurnia ! 

Cal.  Here,  my  lord. 

Cces.  Stand  you  directly  in  Antonius'  way, 
When  he  doth  run  his  course.     Antonius ! 

Ant.  Caesar,  my  lord? 

Cces.  Forget  not,  in  your  speed,  Antonius, 
To  touch  Calpurnia;  for  our  elders  say, 
The  barren,  touched  in  this  holy  chase, 
Shake  off  their  sterile  curse. 

Ant.  I  shall  remember: 

When  Caesar  says  "do  this,"  it  is  perform'd.  10 

Cces.  Set  on  ;  and  leave  no  ceremony  out.  [Flourish. 

Sooth.  Caesar! 

Cces.  Ha!  who  calls? 

Casca.  Bid  every  noise  be  still :  peace  yet  again ! 

Cces.  Who  is  it  in  the  press  that  calls  on  me? 
I  hear  a  tongue,  shriller  than  all  the  music, 
Cry  "Caesar!"     Speak;  Caesar  is  turn'd  to  hear. 

Sooth.  Beware  the  ides  of  March. 

Cces.  What  man  is  that? 

Bru.  A  soothsayer  bids  you  beware  the  ides  of  March.    19 

Cces.  Set  him  beforexme ;  let  me  see  his  face. 

Cos.  Fellow,  come  from  the  throng ;  look  upon  Caesar 

Cces.  What  sa/st  thou  to  me  now?  speak  once  again. 

Sooth.  Beware  the  ides  of  March. 

Cces.  He  is  a  dreamer ;  let  us  leave  him :  pass. 

{Sennet.    Exeunt  all  except  Brutus  and  Cassius. 

Cos.  Will  you  go  see  the  order  of  the  course? 

Bru.  Not  I. 

Cos.  I  pray  you,  do. 

Bru.  I  am  not  gamesome :  I  do  lack  some  part 
Of  that  quick  spirit  that  is  in  Antony. 

Let  me  not  hinder,  Cassius,  your  desires ;  30 

I  '11  leave  you.  ^^^  ra~~~5=5^ 

Cos.  Brutus,  I  do  observe  you  now :  of  late,     >*x  >X3B**^£*  ^ 

/  OF  THE 

/[     UNIVFRSIT 


JULIUS   C^SAR.  [Act  I. 

I  have  not  from  your  eyes  that  gentleness 
And  show  of  love  as  I  was  wont  to  have : 
You  bear  too  stubborn  and  too  strange  a  hand 
JDver  your  friend  that  loves  you. 

"  Bru.  Cassius, 

Be  not  deceived :  if  I  have  veil'd  my  look, 
I  turn  the  trouble  of  my  countenance 
Merely  upon  myself.    Vexed  I  am 

Of  late  with  passions  of  some  difference,  40 

Conceptions  only  proper  to  myself, 
Which  give  some  soil  perhaps  to  my  behaviours ; 
But  let  not  therefore  my  good  friends  be  grieved — 
Among  which  number,  Cassius,  be  you  one — 
Nor  construe  any  further  my  neglect, 
Than  that  poor  Brutus,  with  himself  at  war, 
Forgets  the  shows  of  love  to  other  men. 

Cos.  Then,  Brutus,  I  have  much  mistook  your  passion ; 
By  means  whereof  this  breast  of  mine  hath  buried 
Thoughts  of  great  value,  worthy  cogitations.  50 

Tell  me,  good  Brutus,  can  you  see  your  face? 

Bru.  No,  Cassius ;  for  the  eye  sees  not  itself, 
But  by  reflection,  by  some  other  things. 

Cos.  'T  is  just : 

And  it  is  very  much  lamented,  Brutus, 
That  you  have  no  such  mirrors  as  will  turn 
Your  hidden  worthiness  into  your  eye, 
That  you  might  see  your  shadow.     I  have  heard, 
Where  many  of  the  best  respect  in  Rome, 
Except  immortal  Caesar,  speaking  of  Brutus  60 

And  groaning  underneath  this  age's  yoke, 
Have  wish'd  that  noble  Brutus  had  his  eyes. 

Bru.  Into  what  dangers  would  you  lead  me,  Cassius, 
That  you  would  have  me  seek  into  myself 
For  that  which  is  not  in  me? 

Cos.  Therefore,  good  Brutus,  be  prepared  to  hear : 
And  since  you  know  you  cannot  see  yourself 

well  as  by  reflection,  I,  your  glass, 
Will  modestly  discover  to  yourself 

of  yourself  which  you  yet  know  not  of.  70 

be  not  jealous  on  me,  gentle  Brutus : 
Were  I  a  common  laugher,  or  did  use 
To  stale  with  ordinary  oaths  my  love 
To  every  new  protester ;  if  you  know 
That  I  do  fawn  on  men  and  hug  them  hard 
And  after  scandal  them,  or  if  you  know 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  25 

That  I  profess  myself  in  banqueting 
To  all  the  rout,  then  hold  me  dangerous. 

[Flourish,  and  shout. 

Bru.  What  means  this  shouting?  I  do  fear,  the  people 
Choose  Caesar  for  their  king. 

Cos.  Ay,  do  you  fear  it?S  80 

Then  must  I  think  you  would  not  have  it  so.  «-—  v 


Bru.  T  y_piilH  npf,  r^c^jus;  yet  I  love  him  well. 
But  wherefore  do  you  hold  me  here  so  long? 
What  is  it  that  you  would  impart  to  me? 
If  it  be  aught  toward  the  general  good, 
Set  honour  in  one  eye  and  death  i'  the  other, 
And  I  will  look  on  both  indifferently, 
For  let  the  gods  so  speed  me  as  jjnve. 
The  name  of  honour  more  than  I  fear  death. 

Cos.  I  know  that  virtue  to  be  in  you,  Brutus,  90 

As  well  as  I  do  know  your  outward  favour. 
Well,  honour  is  the  subject  of  my  story. 
I  cannot  tell  what  you  and  other  men 
Think  of  this  life  ;  but,  for  my  single  self, 
I  had  as  lief  not  be  as  live  to  be 
In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself. 
.][  was  hQip  free  as  Caesar:  so  were  vou  : 
We  both  have  fed  as  well,  and  we  canboth 
Endure  the  winter's  cold  as  well  as  he  : 
For  once,  upon  a  raw  and  gusty  day,  100 

The  troubled  Tiber  chafing  with  her  shores,   <N 
Caesar  said  to  me  "  Darest  thou,  Cassius,  now  I 
Leap  in  with  me  into  this  angry  flood, 
And  swim  to  yonder  point?"     Upon  the  word,] 
Accoutred  as  I  was,  I  plunged  in 
And  bade  him  follow  ;  so  indeed  he  did. 
The  torrent  roar'd,  and  we  did  buffet  it 
With  lusty  sinews,  throwing  it  aside 
And  stemming  it  with  hearts  of  controversy  ; 
But  ere  we  could  arrive  the  point  proposed,  no 

Caesar  cried  "*JHp  _rft£,  r>sciiu<sjj3r  I  sink  !" 
I,  as  ^Eneas,  our  great  ancestor/  ' 

Did  from  the  flames  of  Troy  upon  his  shoulder 
The  old  Anchises  bear,  so  from  the  waves  of  Tiber 
Did  I  the  tired  Caesar.     And  this  man 
Is  now  become  a  god,  and  Cassius  is 
A  wretched  creature  and  must  bend  his  body, 
If  Caesar  carelessly  but  nod  on  him. 
He  had  a  fever  when  he  was  in  Spain, 


26  JULIUS  C^SAR.  [Act  I. 

And  when  the  fit  was  on  him,  I  did  mark  120 

How  he  did  shake :  Jt  is  true,  this  god  did  shake : 

His  coward  lips  did  from  their  colour  fly, 

And  that  same  eye  whose  bend  doth  awe  the  world 

Did  lose  his  lustre :  I  did  hear  him  groan : 

Ay,  and  that  tongue  of  his  that  bade  the  Romans 

Mark  him  and  write  his  speeches  in  their  books, 

Alas,  it  cried  "  Give  me  some  drink,  Titinius," 

As  a  sick  girl.     Ye  gods,  it  doth  amaze  me 

A  man  of  such  a  feeble  temper  should 

So  get  the  start  of  the  majestic  world  130 

And  bear  the  palm  alone.  [Shout.     Flourish. 

Bru.  Another  general  shout ! 
I  do  believe  that  these  applauses  are 
For  some  new  honours  that  are  heap'd  on  Caesar. 

Cas.  Why,  man,  he  doth  bestride  the  narrow  world 
Like  a  Colossus,  and  we  petty  men 
Walk  under  his  huge  legs  and  peep  about 
To  find  ourselves  dishonourable  graves. 

(Men  at  some  time  are  masters  of  their  fates :  \ 
The  fault,  dear  Brutus,  is  not  in  our  stars,        1  140 

^But  in  ourselves,  that  we  are  underlings.         / 
Brutus  and  Caesar:  what  should  be  in  that  "  Caesar"? 
Why  should  that  name  be  sounded  more  than  yours? 
Write  them  together,  yours  is  as  fair  a  name ; 
Sound  them,  it  doth  become  the  mouth  as  well ; 
Weigh  them,  it  is  as  heavy ;  conjure  with  'em, 
Brutus  will  start  a  spirit  as  soon  as  Caesar. 
Now,  in  the  names  of  all  the  gods  at  once, 
Upon  what  meat  doth  this  our  Caesar  feed, 
'  That  he  is  grown  so  great?     Age,  thou  art  shamed  !  150 

Rome,  thou  hast  lost  the  breed  of  noble  bloods  ! 
When  went  there  by  an  age,  since  the  great  flood, 
But  it  was  famed  with  more  than  with  one  man? 
When  could  they  say  till  now,  that  talk'd  of  Rome, 
That  her  wide  walls  encompass'd  but  one  man  ? 
Now  is  it  Rome  indeed  and  room  enough, 
When  there  is  in  it  but  one  only  man. 
O,  you  and  I  have  heard  our  fathers  say, 
There  was  a  Brutus  once  that  would  have  brook'd 
The  eternal  devil  to  keep  his  state  in  Rome  160 

As  easily  as  a  king. 

Bru.  That  you  do  love  me,  I  am  nothing  jealous ; 
What  you  would  work  me  to,  I  have  some  aim : 
How  I  have  thought  of  this  and  of  these  times, 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS   CAESAR.  27 

I  shall  recount  hereafter ;  for  this  present, 

I  would  not,  so  with  love  I  might  entreat  you, 

Be  any  further  moved.    JWhat  vo\i  bfrrQ  f0^ 

]^wil|  consider ;  what  you  have  to  say 

T  will  with  patience  hear,  and  find  a  time 

Both  meet  to  hear  and  answer  such  high  things.  170 

Till  then,  my  noble  friend,  chew  upon  this : 

Brutus  had  rather  be  a  villager 

Than  to  repute  himself  a  son  of  Rome 

Under  these  hard  conditions  as  this  time 

Is  like  to  lay  upon  us. 

Cas.  I  am  glad  that  my  weak  words 
Have  struck  but  thus  much  show  of  fire  from  Brutus. 

Bru.  The  games  are  done  and  Caesar  is  returning. 

Cas.  As  they  pass  by,  pluck  Casca  by  the  sleeve ; 
And  he  will,  after  his  sour  fashion,  tell  you  180 

What  hath  proceeded  worthy  note  to-day. 

Re-enter  CAESAR  and  his  Train. 

Bru.  I  will  do  so.     But,  look  you,  Cassius, 
The  angry  spot  doth  glow  on  Caesar's  brow, 
And  all  the  rest  look  like  a  chidden  train : 
Calpurnia's  cheek  is  pale ;  and  Cicero 
Looks  with  such  ferret  and  such  fiery  eyes 
As  we  have  seen  him  in  the  Capitol, 
Being  cross'd  in  conference  by  some  senators. 

Cas.  Casca  will  tell  us  what  the  matter  is. 

Cess.  Antonius!  190 

Ant.  Caesar? 

Cas.  Let  me  have  men  about  me  that  are  fat 
Sleek-headed  men  and  such  as  sleep  o'  nights : 
Yond  .Ca.s.sius  has  a  lean  andjhungry  look : 
lie  thinks  Joo  much:  such  men"  are  dangerou 

Ant.  Fear  him  not,  Caesar ;  he  >s  not  dangerous  ; 
He  is  a  noble  Roman  and  well  given. 

Cess.  Would  he  were  fatter !     But  I  fear  him  not : 
Yet  if  my  name  were  liable  to  fear, 

I  do  not  know  the  man  I  should  avoid  200 

So  soon  as  that  spare  Cassius.     He  reads  much ; 
He  is  a  great  observer  and  he  looks 
Quite  through  the  deeds  of  men ;  he  loves  no  pla 
As  thou  dost,  Antony ;  he  hears  no  music ; 
Seldom  he  smiles,  and  smiles  in  such  a  sort 
As  if  he  mock'd  himself  and  scorn'd  his  spirit 
That  could  be  moved  to  smile  at  any  thing. 


•  •    •    - 


28  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  I. 

Such  men  as  he  be  never  at  heart's  ease 

Whiles  they  behold  a  greater  than  themselves, 

And  therefore  are  they  very  dangerous.  210 

I  rather  tell  thee  what  is  to  be  fear'd  . 

Than  what  I  fear ;  for  always  I  am  Caesar. 

Come  on  my  right  hand,  for  this  ear  is  deaf, 

And  tell  me  truly  what  thou  think'st  of  him. 

[Sennet.    Exeunt  Ccesar  and  all  his 
Train,  but  Casca. 

Casca.  You  pulPd  me   by  the   cloak;   would  you   speak 
with  me? 

Bru.  Ay,  Casca ;  tell  us  what  hath  chanced  to-day, 
That  Cassar  looks  so  sad. 

Casca.  Why,  you  were  with  him,  were  you  not?  218 

Bru.  I  should  not  then  ask  Casca  what  had  chanced. 

Casca.  Why,  there  was  a  crown  offered  him:  and  being 
offered  him,  he  put  it  by  with  the  back  of  his  hand,  thus ; 
and  then  the  people  fell  a-shouting. 

Bru.  What  was  the  second  noise  for? 

Casca.  Why,  for  that  too. 

Cos.  They  shouted  thrice:  what  was  the  last  cry  for? 

Casca.  Wliy,  for  that  too. 

Bru.  Was  the  crown  offered  him  thrice? 

Casca.  Ay,  marry,  was  \  and  he  put  it  by  thrice,  every  time 
gentler  than  other,  and  at  every  putting -by  mine  honest 
neighbours  shouted.  231 

Cos.  Who  offered  him  the  crown? 

Casca.     Why,  Antony. 

Bru.  Tell  us  the  manner  of  it,  gentle  Casca. 

Casca.  I  can  as  well  be  hanged  as  tell  the  manner  of  it : 
it  was  mere  foolery ;  I  did  not  mark  it.  I  saw  Mark  Antony 
offer  him  a  crown ; — yet 't  was  not  a  crown  neither,  \  was  one 
of  these  coronets ; — and,  as  I  told  you,  he  put  it  by  once : 
but,  for  all  that,  to  my  thinking,  he  would  fain  have  had  it. 
Then  he  offered  it  to  him  again ;  then  he  put  it  by  again : 
but,  to  my  thinking,  he  was  very  loath  to  lay  his  fingers  off 
it.  And  then  he  offered  it  the  third  time ;  he  put  it  the  third 
time  by:  and  still  as  he  refused  it,  the  rabblement  hooted 
and  clapped  their  chapped  hands  and  threw  up  their  sweaty 
night-caps  and  uttered  such  a  deal  of  stinking  breath  because 
Cassar  refused  the  crown  that  it  had  almost  choked  Caesar ; 
for  he  swounded  and  fell  down  at  it:  and  for  mine  own  part, 
I  durst  not  laugh,  for  fear  of  opening  my  lips  and  receiving 
the  bad  air.  252 

Cos.  But,  soft,  I  pray  you:  what,  did  Caesar  swound? 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  29 

Casca.  He  fell  down  in  the  market-place,  and  foamed  at 
mouth,  and  was  speechless. 

Bru.  'T  is  very  like :  he  hath  the  falling  sickness. 

Cos.  No,  Caesar  hath  it  not ;  but  you  and  I 
And  honest  Casca,  we  have  the  falling  sickness. 

Casca.  I  know  not  what  you  mean  by  that ;  but,  I  am  sure, 
Caesar  fell  down.  If  the  tag-rag  people  did  not  clap  him  and 
hiss  him,  according  as  he  pleased  and  displeased  them,  as 
they  use  to  do  the  players  in  the  theatre,  I  am  no  true  man. 

Bru.  What  said  he  when  he  came  unto  himself?  264 

Casca.  Marry,  before  he  fell  down,  when  he  perceived  the 
common  herd  was  glad  he  refused  the  crown,  he  plucked  me 
ope  his  doublet  and  offered  them  his  throat  to  cut.  An  I  had 
been  a  man  of  any  occupation,  if  I  would  not  have  taken  him 
at  a  word,  I  would  I  might  go  to  hell  among  the  rogues. 
And  so  he  fell.  When  he  came  to  himself  again,  he  said,  If 
he  had  done  or  said  any  thing  amiss,  he  desired  their  worships 
to  think  it  was  his  infirmity.  Three  or  four  wenches,  where 
I  stood,  cried  "Alas,  good  soul!"  and  forgave  him  with  all 
their  hearts:  but  there's  no  heed  to  be  taken  jf  them;  if 
Caesar  had  stabbed  their  mothers,  they  would  have  done 
no  less. 

Bru.  And  after  that,  he  came,  thus  sad,  away? 

Casca.  Ay.  280- 

Cos.  Did  Cicero  say  any  thing? 

Casca.  Ay,  he  spoke  Greek. 

Cos.  To  what  effect? 

Casca.  Nay,  an  I  tell  you  that,  I'll  ne'er  look  you  i'  the 
face  again:  but  those  that  understood  him  smiled  at  one 
another  and  shook  their  heads ;  but,  for  mine  own  part,  it* 
was  Greek  to  me.  I  could  tell  you  more  news  too :  Marullus 
and  Flavius,  for  pulling  scarfs  off  Caesar's  images,  are  put  to 
silence.  Fare  you  well.  There  was  more  foolery  yet,  if  I 
could  remember  it.  291 

Cos.  Will  you  sup  with  me  to-night,  Casca? 

Casca.  No,  I  am  promised  forth. 

Cos.  Will  you  dine  with  me  to-morrow? 

Casca.  Ay,  if  I  be  alive  and  your  mind  hold  and  your 
dinner  worth  the  eating. 

Cos.  Good :  I  will  expect  you. 

Casca.  Do  so.     Farewell,  both.  \Exit. 

Bru.  What  a  blunt  fellow  is  this  grown  to  be ! 
He  was  quick  mettle  when  he  went  to  school.  300 

Cas.  So  is  he  now  in  execution 
Of  any  bold  or  noble  enterprise, 


30  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  1. 

However  he  puts  on  this  tardy  form. 
This  rudeness  is  a  sauce  to  his  good  wit, 
Which  gives  men  stomach  to  digest  his  words 
With  better  appetite. 

Bru.  And  so  it  is.     For  this  time  I  will  leave  you : 
To-morrow,  if  you  please  to  speak  with  me, 
I  will  come  home  to  you ;  or,  if  you  will, 
Come  home  to  me,  and  I  will  wait  for  you.  310 

Cos.  I  will  do  so :  till  then,  think  of  the  world. 

[Exit  Brutus. 

Well,  Brutus,  thou  art  noble ;  yet,  I  see, 
Thy  honourable  metal  may  be  wrought 
From  that  it  is  disposed :  therefore  it  is  meet 
That  noble  minds  keep  ever  with  their  likes ; 
•V  (For  who  so  firm  that  cannot  be  seduced? 

Caesar  doth  bear  me  hard ;  but  he  loves  Brutus : 

If  I  were  Brutus  now  and  he  were  Cassius, 

He  should  not  humour  me.     I  will  this  night. 

In  several  hands,  in  at  his  windows  throw,  320 

As  if  they  came  from  several  citizens, 

Writings  all  tending  to  the  great  opinion 

That  Rome  holds  of  his  name ;  wherein  obscurely 

Caesar's  ambition  shall  be  glanced  at : 

And  after  this  let  Caesar  seat  him  sure ; 

For  we  will  shake  him,  or  worse  days  endure.  [Exit. 

SCENE  III.     The  same.    A  street. 

Thunder  and  lightning.    Enter,  from  opposite  sides,  CASCA, 
with  his  sword  drawn,  and  CiCERO. 

Cic.  Good  even,  Casca :  brought  you  Caesar  home  ? 
Why  are  you  breathless?  and  why  stare  you  so? 

Casca.  Are  not  you  moved,  when  all  the  sway  of  earth 
Shakes  like  a  thing  unfirm?    O  Cicero, 
I  have  seen  tempests,  when  the  scolding  winds 
Have  rived  the  knotty  oaks,  and  I  have  seen 
The  ambitious  ocean  swell  and  rage  and  foam, 
To  be  exalted  with  the  threatening  clouds : 
But  never  till  to-night,  never  till  now, 

Did  I  go  through  a  tempest  dropping  fire.  IO 

Either  there  is  a^civil  strife  inj^eaveiij 
Or  else  the  world,  too  saucy  with  the  gods, 
Incenses  them  to  send  destruction. 

Cic.  Why,  saw  you  any  thing  more  wonderful? 


Scenes.]  JULIUS  C^SAR.  31 

Casca.  A  common  slave  —  you  know  him  well  by  sight- 
Held  up  his  left  hand,  which  did  flame  and  burn 
Like  twenty  torches  join'd,  and  yet  his  hand, 

" 


Besides  —  I  ha'  not  since  put  up  my  sword  — 

Againstjhe^apitol  I  met  a  lion,  N  20 

Who  glared  upon  me,  and  went  surly  by, 

Without  annoying  me  :  and  there  were  drawn 

Upon  a  heap  a  hundred  ghastly  women, 

Transformed  with  their  fear  ;  who  swore  they  saw 

Men  all  in  fire  walk  up  and  down  the  streets. 

And  yesterday  the  bird  of  night  did  sit 

Even  at  noon-day  upon  the  market-place, 

Hooting  and  shrieking.     When  these  prodigies 

Do  so  conjointly  meet,  let  not  men  say 

"  These  are  their  reasons  ;  they  are  natural"  ;  30 

For,  I  believe,  they  are  portentous  things 

Unto  the  climate  that  they  point  upon. 

Cic.  Indeed,  it  is  a  strange-disposed  time  : 
But  men  may  construe  things  after  their  fashion, 
Clean  from  the  purpose  of  the  things  themselves. 
Comes  Caesar  to  the  Capitol  to-morrow? 

Casca.  He  doth  ;  for  he  did  bid  Antonius 
Send  word  to  you  he  would  be  there  to-morrow. 

Cic.  Good  night  then,  Casca  :  this  disturbed  sky  39 

Is  not  to  walk  in. 

Casca.  Farewell,  Cicero.  [Exit  Cicero. 

Enter  CASSIUS. 

Cos.  Who  Js  there? 

Casca,  A  Roman. 

Cos.  Casca,  by  your  voice. 

Casca.  Your  ear  is  good.     Cassius,  what  night  is  this  ! 

Cos.  A  very  pleasing  night  to  honest  men. 

Casca.  Who  ever  knew  the  heavens  menace  so? 

Cos.  Those  that  have  known  the  earth  so  full  of  faults. 
For  my  part,  I  have  walk'd  about  the  streets, 
Submitting  me  unto  the  perilous  night, 
And,  thus  unbraced,  Casca,  as  you  see, 
Have  bared  my  bosom  to  the  thunder-stone  ; 
And  when  the  cross  blue  lightning  seenVd  to  open  50 

The  breast  of  heaven,  I  did  present  myself 
Even  in  the  aim  and  very  flash  of'it. 

Casca.  But  wherefore  did  you  so  much  tempt  the  heavens? 
It  is  the  part  of  men  to  fear  and  tremble, 


32  JULIUS   OES^R.  [Act  I. 

When  the  most  mighty  gods  by  tokens  send 
Such  dreadful  heralds  to  astonish  us. 

Cos.  You  ar.e..dulL.Qasca.Land  those  sparks  of  life 
That  should  be  in  a  Roman  you  do  want, 
Or  else  you  use  not.    You  look  pale  arid  gaze 
And  put  on  fear  and  cast  yourself  in  wonder,  60 

To  see  the  strange  impatience  of  the  heavens ; 
/-But  if  you  would  consider  the  true  cause 
/  Why  all  these  fires,  why  all  these  gliding  ghosts, 
\  Why  birds  and  beasts  from  quality  and  kind, 
f  Why  old  men  fool  and  children  calculate, 
M^hy  all  these  things  change  from  their  ordinance 
Their  natures  and  preformed  faculties 
To  monstrous  quality, — why,  yjott-ekafrfewh 
That  heaven  hath  infused  them  with  these  spirits, 
To  make  them  instruments  of  fear  and  warning  70 

Unto  some  monstrous  state. 
Now  could  I,  Casca,  name  to  thee  a  man 
Most  like  this  dreadful  night, 
That  thunders,  lightens,  opens  graves,  and  roars 
As  doth  the  lion  in  the  Capitol, 
A  man  no  mightier  than  thyself  or  me 
In  personal  action,  yet  prodigious  grown 
And  fearful,  as  these  strange  eruptions  are. 

Casca.  3T  is  Caesar  that  you  mean ;  is  it  not,  Cassius? 

Cos.  Let  it  be  who  it  is :  for  Romans  now  80 

Have  thews  and  limbs  like  to  their  ancestors ; 
But,  woe  the  while !  our  fathers'  minds  are  dead, 
And  we  are  govern'd  with  our  mothers'  spirits ; 
Our  yoke  and  sufferance  show  us  womanish. 

Casca.  Indeed,  they  say  the  senators  to-morrow 
Mean  to  establish  Caesar  as  a  king ; 
And  he  shall  wear  his  crown  by  sea  and  land, 
In  every  place,  save  here  in  Italy. 

Cos.  I  know  where  I  will  wear  this  dagger,  then ; 
Cassius  from  bondage  will  deliver  Cassius :  90 

Therein,  ye  gods,  you  make  the  weak  most  strong ; 
Therein,  ye  gods,  you  tyrants  do  defeat  : 
Nor  stony  tower,  nor  walls  of  beaten  brass, 
Nor  airless  dungeon,  nor  strong  links  of  iron, 
Can  be  retentive  to  the  strength  of  spirit ; 
But  life,  being  weary  of  these  worldly  bars, 
Never  lacks  power  to  dismiss  itself. 
If  I  know  this,  know  all  the  world  besides, 
That  part  of  tyranny  that  I  do  bear 


Scenes-]  JULIUS  CESAR.  33 

I  can  shake  off  at  pleasure.  [Thunder  still. 

Casca.  So  can  1 :  100 

So  every  bondman  in  his  own  hand  bears 
The  power  to  cancel  his  captivity. 

Cos.  \pA  why  gh^id  ranaar  hr  Q  tyrant-  thAn  ? 

Poor  man !  I  know  he  would  not  be  a  wolf, 

But  that  he  sees  the  Romans  are  but  sheep : 

He  were  no  lion,  were  not  Romans  hinds. 

Those  that  with  haste  will  make  a  mighty  fire 

Begin  it  with  weak  straws :  what  trash  is  Rome, 

What  rubbish  and  what  offal,  when  it  serves 

For  the  base  matter  to  illuminate  i  ib 

So  vile  a  thing  as  Caesar !     But,  O  grief, 

Where  hast  thou  led  me?  I  perhaps  speak  this 

Before  a  willing  bondman ;  then  I  know 

My  answer  must  be  made.     But  I  am  arm'd, 

And  dangers  are  to  me  indifferent. 

Casca.  You  speak  to  Casca,  and  to  such  a  man 
That  is  no  fleering  tell-tale.     Hold,  my  hand : 
Be  factious  for  redress  of  all  these  griefs, 
And  1  will  set  this  foot  of  mine  as  far 
As  who  goes  farthest 

Cos.  There's  a  bargain  made.  120 

Now  know  you,  Casca,  I  have  moved  already 
Some  certain  of  the  noblest-minded  Romans 
To  undergo  with  me  an  enterprise 
Of  honourable-dangerous  consequence ; 
And  I  do  know,  by  this,  they  stay  for  me 
In  Pompey's  porch :  for  now,  this  fearful  night, 
There  is  no  stir  or  walking  in  the  streets ; 
And  the  complexion  of  the  element 
In  favour's  like  the  work  we  have  in  hand, 
Most  bloody,  fiery,  and  most  terrible.  130 

Casca.  Stand  close  awhile,  for  here  comes  one  in  haste. 

Cos.  T  is  Cinna ;  I  do  know  him  by  his  gait ; 
He  is  a  friend. 

Enter  CiNNA. 

Cinna,  where  haste  you  so? 

Cm.  To  find  out  you.     Who's  that?  Metellus  Cimber? 
Cos.  No,  it  is  Casca ;  one  incorporate 
To  our  attempts.     Am  I  not  sta/d  for,  Cinna? 

Cin.  I  am  glad  on 't.     What  a  fearful  night  is  this ! 
There 's  two  or  three  of  us  have  seen  strange  sights. 
Cos.  Am  I  not  stayed  for?  tell  me. 

f  ftsi  *  O 


34  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  II. 

Cm.  Yes,  you  are. 

0  Cassius,  if  you  cculd  140 

But  win  the  noble  Brutus  to  our  party — 

Cos.    Be  you  content :  good  Cinna,  take  this  paper, 
And  look  you  lay  it  in  the  praetor's  chair, 
Where  Brutus  may  but  find  it ;  and  throw  this 
In  at  his  window ;  set  this  up  with  wax 
Upon  old  Brutus'  statue :  all  this  done, 
Repair  to  Pompeys  porch,  where  you  shall  find  us. 
Is  Decius  Brutus  and  Trebonius  there? 

Cin.  All  but  Metellus  Cimber ;  and  he 's  gone 
To  seek  you  at  your  house.     Well,  I  will  hie,  150 

And  so  bestow  these  papers  as  you  bade  me. 

Cos.  That  done,  repair  to  Pompey's  theatre.    [Exit  Cinna. 
Come,  Casca,  you  and  I  will  yet  ere  day 
See  Brutus  at  his  house :  three  parts  of  him 
Is  ours  already,  and  the  man  entire 
Upon  the  next  encounter  yields  him  ours. 

Casca.  O,  he  sits  high  in  all  the  people's  hearts : 
And  that  which  would  appear  offence  in  us, 
His  countenance,  like  richest  alchemy, 
Will  change  to  virtue  and  to  worthiness.  160 

Cos,  Him  and  his  worth  and  our  great  need  of  him 
You  have  right  well  conceited.     Let  us  go, 
For  it  is  after  midnight ;  and  ere  day 
We  will  awake  him  and  be  sure  of  him.  [Exeunt. 


ACT  II. 

SCENE  I,    Rome.    Brutus' s  orchard. 

Enter  BRUTUS. 

Bru.  What,  Lucius,  ho ! 
I  cannot,  by  the  progress  of  the  stars, 
Give  guess  how  near  to  day.     Lucius,  I  say ! 
I  would  it  were  my  fault  to  sleep  so  soundly. 
When,  Lucius,  when  ?  awake,  I  say !  what,  Lucius ! 

Enter  LUCIUS. 

Luc.  Call'd  you,  my  lord? 
Bru.  Get  me  a  taper  in  my  study,  Lucius : 
When  it  is  lighted,  come  and  call  me  here. 
Luc.  I  will,  my  lord.  [Exit. 


Scene  i.]  JULIUS  OESAR.  35 

Bru.  It  must  be  by  his  death :  and  for  my  part,  10 

I  know  no  personal  cause  to  spurn  at  him, 
But  for  the  general.     He  would  be  crown'd : 
How  that  might  change  his  nature,  there 's  the  question. 
It  is  the  bright  day  that  brings  forth  the  adder  ;^2  X* 

And  that  craves  wary  walking.     Crown  him? — that; — 
And  then,  I  grant,  we  put  a  sting  in  him, 
That  at  his  will  he  may  do  danger  with. 
The  abuse  of  greatness  is,  when  it  disjoins 
Remorse  from  power :  and,  to  speak  truth  of  Caesar, 

1  havp  nnt  known  wfa^  *"*  flflfrrtiqps  swayed  2O 

More  tEanThis  reason.     But 't  is  a  common  proof, 

That  lowliness  is  young  ambition's  ladder, 

Whereto  the  climber-upward  turns  his  face ; 

But  when  he  once  attains  the  upmost  round, 

He  then  unto  the  ladder  turns  his  back, 

Looks  in  the  clouds,  scorning  the  base  degrees 

By  which  he  did  ascend.     So  Caesar  may. 

Then,  lest  he  may,  prevent.     And,  since  the  quarrel 

Will  bear  no  colour  for  the  thing  he  is, 

Fashion  it  thus ;  that  what  he  is,  augmented,  30 

Would  run  to  these  and  these  extremities : 

And  therefore^  think  him  as  a  serpent's  egg 

Which,  hatch'd,  would,  as  his  kind,  grow  mischievous,^}       * 

And  kill  him  in  the  shell. 

Re-enter  LUCIUS. 

Luc.  The  taper  burneth  in  your  closet,  sir. 
Searching  the  window  for  a  flint,  I  found 
This  paper,  thus  seal'd  up ;  and,  I  am  sure, 
It  did  not  lie  there  when  I  went  to  bed. 

[Gives  him  the  letter. 

Bru.  Get  you  to  bed  again ;  it  is  not  day. 
Is  not  to-morrow,  boy,  the  ides  of  March?  40 

Luc.  I  know  not,  sir. 

Bru.  Look  in  the  calendar,  and  bring  me  word. 

Luc.  I  will,  sir.  [Exit. 

Bru.  The  exhalations  whizzing  in  the  air 
Give  so  much  light  that  I  may  read  by  them. 

[Opens  the  letter  and  reads. 
"  Brutus,  thou  sleep'st :  awake,  and  see  thyself. 
Shall  Rome,  &c.     Speak,  strike,  redress ! 
Brutus,  thou  sleep'st:  awake!" 
Such  instigations  have  been  often  dropp'd 
Where  I  have  took  them  up.  50 


36  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  IL 

"  Shall  Rome,  &c."    Thus  must  I  piece  it  out : 

Shall  Rome  stand  under  one  man's  awe?    What,  Rome? 

My  ancestors  did  from  the  streets  of  Rome 

The  Tarquin  drive,  when  he  was  call'd  a  king. 

"  Speak,  strike,,  redress !"    Am  I  entreated 

To  speak  and  strike?    O  Rome,  I  make  thee  promise;    V  L 

If  the  redress  will  follow,  thou  receivest 

Thy  full  petition  at  the  hand  of  Brutus ! 

Re-enter  Lucius. 

Luc.  Sir,  March  is  wasted  fourteen  days. 

[Knocking  within. 

Bru.  'T  is  good.    Go  to  the  gate ;  somebody  knocks. 

[Exit  Lucius. 

Since  Cassius  first  did  whet  me  against  Caesar,  61 

I  have  not  slept. 

Between  the  acting  of  a  dreadful  thing 
And  the  first  motion,  all  the  interim  is 
Like  a  phantasma,  or  a  hideous  dfeam : 
The  genius  and  the  mortal  instruments 
Are  then  in  council ;  and  the  state  of  man, 
Like  to  a  little  kingdom,  suffers  then 
The  nature  of  an  insurrection. 

Re-enter  LUCIUS. 

Luc.  Sir,  't  is  your  brother  Cassius  at  the  door,  70 

Who  doth  desire  to  see  you. 

Bru.  Is  he  alone? 

Luc.  No,  sir,  there  are  moe  with  him. 

Bru.  Do  you  know  them? 

Luc.  No,  sir;  their  hats  are  pluck'd  about  their  ears, 
And  half  their  faces  buried  in  their  cloaks, 
That  by  no  means  I  may  discover  them 
By  any  mark  of  favour. 

Bru.  Let  'em  enter.  [Exit  Lucius. 

They  are  the  faction.     O  conspiracy, 
Shamest  thou  to  show  thy  dangerous  brow  by  night, 
When  evils  are  most  free?    O,  then  by  day 
Where  wilt  thou  find  a  cavern  dark  enough  80 

To  mask  thy  monstrous  visage?    Seek  none,  conspiracy; 
Hide  it  in  smiles  and  affability: 
For  if  thou  path,  thy  native  semblance  on, 
Not  Erebus  itself  were  dim  enough 
To  hide  thee  from  prevention. 


Scene  x.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  37 

Enter  the  conspirators,  CASSIUS,  CASCA,  DECIUS,  CINNA, 
METELLUS  CIMBER,  and  TREBONIUS. 

Cos.  I  think  we  are  too  bold  upon  your  rest : 
Good  morrow,  Brutus;  do  we  trouble  you? 

Bru.  I  have  been  up  this  hour,  awake  all  night. 
Know  I  these  men  that  come  along  with  you? 

Cos.  Yes,  every  man  of  them,  and  no  man  here  90 

But  honours  you ;  and  every  one  doth  wish 
You  had  but  that  opinion  of  yourself 
Which  every  noble  Roman  bears  of  you. 
This  is  Trebonius. 

Bru.  He  is  welcome  hither. 

Cos.  This,  Decius  Brutus. 

Bru.  He  is  welcome  too. 

Cos.  This,  Casca ;  this,  Cinna ;  and  this,  Metellus  Cimber. 

Bru.  They  are  all  welcome. 
What  watchful  cares  do  interpose  themselves 
Betwixt  your  eyes  and  night? 

Cos.  Shall  I  entreat  a  word?  100 

[Brutus  and  Cassius  whisper. 

Dec.  Here  lies  the  east:  doth  not  the  day  break  here? 

Casca.  No. 

Cin.  O,  pardon>  sir,  it  doth ;  and  yon  gray  lines 
That  fret  the  clouds  are  messengers  of  day. 

Casca.  You  shall  confess  that  you  are  both  deceived. 
Here,  as  I  point  my  sword,  the  sun  arises, 
Which  is  a  great  way  growing  on  the  south, 
Weighing  the  youthful  season  of  the  year. 
Some  two  months  hence  up  higher  toward  the  north 
He  first  presents  his  fire;  and  the  high  east  no 

Stands,  as  the  Capitol,  directly  here. 

Bru.  Give  me  your  hands  all  over,  one  by  one. 

Cos.  And  let  us  swear  our  resolution. 

teru.  No,  not  an  oath :  if  not  the  face  of  men, 
The  sufferance  of  our  souls,  the  time's  abuse, — 
If  these  be  motives  weak,  break  off  betimes, 
And  every  man  hence  to  his  idle  bed ; 
So  let  high-sighted  tyranny  range  on. 
Till  each  man  drop  by  lottery.     But  if  these, 
As  I  am  sure  they  do,  bear  fire  enough  120 

To  kindle  cowards  and  to  steel  with  valour 
The  melting  spirits  of  women,  then,  countrymen, 
What  need  we  any  spur  but  our  own  cause, 
To  prick  us  to  redress?  what  other  bond 


38  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  II. 

Than  secret  Romans,  that  have  spoke  the  word, 

And  will  not  palter?  and  what  other  oath 

Than  honesty  to  honesty  engaged, 

That  this  shall  be,  or  we  will  fall  for  it? 

Swear  priests  and  cowards  and  men  cautelous, 

Old  feeble  carrions  and  such  suffering  souls  130 

That  welcome  wrongs ;  unto  bad  causes  swear 

Such  creatures  as  men  doubt ;  but  do  not  stain 

The  even  virtue  of  our  enterprise, 

Nor  the  insuppressive  mettle  of  our  spirits, 

To  think  that  or  our  cause  or  our  performance 

Did  need  an  oath ;  when  every  drop  of  blood 

That  every  Roman  bears,  and  nobly  bears, 

Is  guilty  of  a  several  bastardy, 

If  he  do  break  the  smallest  particle 

Of  any  promise  that  hath  pass'd  from  him.  140 

Cos.  But  what  of  Gicefift^shall  we  sound  him? 
I  think  he  will  stand  very  strong  with  us. 

Casca.  Let  us  not  leave  him  out. 

Cin.  No,  by  no  means. 

Met.  O,  let  us  have  him,  for  his  silver  hairs 
Will  purchase  us  a  good  opinion 
And  buy  men's  voices  to  commend  our  deeds : 
It  shall  be  said,  his  judgement  ruled  our  hands ; 
Our  youths  and  wildness  shall  no  whit  appear, 
But  all  be  buried  in  his  gravity. 

Bru.  O,  name  him  not:  let  us  not  break  with  him;        150 
por  he  will  never  follow  any  thing 
JThat  other  men  begin. 
1    Cos.  Then  leave  him  out. 

Casca.  Indeed  he  is  not  fit. 

Dec.  Shall  no  man  else  be  touch'd  but  only  Caesar? 

Cos.  Decius,  well  urged :  I  think  it  is  not  meet, 
Mark  Antony,  so  well  beloved  of  Caesar, 
Should  outlive  Caesar :  we  shall  find  of  him. 
A  shrewd  contriver ;  and,  you  know,  his  means, 
If  he  improve  them,  may  well  stretch  so  far 
As  to  annoy  us  all:  which  to  prevent,  160 

Let  Antony  and  Caesar  fall  together.  - 

Bru.  Our  course  will  seem  too  bloody,  Caius  Cassius, 
To  cut  the  head  off  and  then  hack  the  limbs, 

(Like  wrath  in  death  and  envy  afterwards ; 
For  Antony  is  but  a  limb  of  Caesar : 
Let  us.  be  sacrificers,  but  not  butchers,  Caius. 
We  all  stand  up  against  the  spirit  of  Caesar ; 


Scene  i.]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  39 

And  in  the  spirit  of  men  there  is  no  blood  : 
O,  that  we  then  could  come  by  Caesar's  spirit, 
And  not  dismember  Caesar  !     But,  alas,  170 

Caesar  must  bleed  for  it  !     And,  gentle  friends, 
not  wrathfully  ; 


CeT'scarve  him  asadish  tift&rthe  gods, 

Not  hew  him  as  a  carcass  fit  for  hounds  : 

And  let  our  hearts,  as  subtle  masters  do, 

Stir  up  their  servants  to  an  act  of  rage, 

And  after  seem  to  chide  'em.     This  shall  make 

Our  purpose  necessary  and  _  not  envious  ; 

Which  so  appearing  to  the  common  eyes, 

We  shall  be  call'd  purgers,  not  murderers.  180 

And  for  Mark  Antony,  think  not  of  him  ; 

For  he  can  do  no  more  than  Caesar's  arm 

When  Caesar's  head  is  off. 

Cos.  Yet  I  fear  him  ; 

For  in  the  ingrafted  love  he  bears  to  Caesar  — 

Bru.  Alas,  good  Cassius,  do  not  think  of  him  : 
If  he  love  Caesar,  all  that  he  can  do 
Is  to  himself,  take  thought  and  die  for  Caesar  : 
And'  that  were  much  he  should  ;  for  he  is  given 
To  sports,  to  wildness  and  much  company. 

Treb.  There  is  no  fear  in  him  ;  let  him  not  die  ;  190 

For  he  will  live,  and  laugh  at  this  hereafter.       [Clock  strikes. 

Bru.  Peace  !  count  the  clock. 

Cos.  The  clock  hath  stricken  three. 

Treb.  T  is  time  to  part 

Cos.  But  it  is  doubtful  yet, 

Whether  Caesar  will  come  forth  to-day,  or  no  ; 
For  he  is  superstitious  grown  of  late, 
Quite  from  the  main  opinion  he  held  once 
Of  fantasy,  of  dreams  and  ceremonies  : 
It  may  be,  these  apparent  prodigies, 
The  unaccustomed  terror  of  this  night, 

And  the  persuasion  of  his  augurers,  .      200 

May  hold  him  from  the-  Capitol  to-day. 

Dec.  Never  fear  that  :  if  he  be  so  resolved, 
I  can  o'ersway  him  ;  for  he  loves  to  hear 
That  unicorns  may  be  betray'd  with  trees, 
And  bears  with  glasses,  elephants  with  holes, 
Lions  with  toils  and  men  with  flatterers  ; 
But  when  I  tell  him  he  hates  flatterers, 
He  says  he  does,  being  then  most  flattered. 
Let  me  work; 


40  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  II. 

For  I  can  give  his  humour  the  true  bent,  210 

And  I  will  bring  him  to  the  Capitol. 

Cos.  Nay,  we  will  all  of  us  be  there  to  fetch  him. 

Bru.  By  the  eighth  hour:  is  that  the  uttermost? 

Cin.  Be  that  the  uttermost,  and  fail  not  then. 

Met.  Caius  Ligarius  doth  bear  Caesar  hard, 
Who  rated  him  for  speaking  well  of  Pompey : 
I  wonder  none  of  you  have  thought  of  him. 

Bru.  Now,  good  Metellus,  go  along  by  him : 
He  loves  me  well,  and  I  have  given  him  reasons ; 
Send  him  but  hither,  and  I  '11  fashion  him.  220 

Cos.  The  morning  comes  upon 's :  we  '11  leave  you,  Brutus. 
And,  friends,  disperse  yourselves ;  but  all  remember 
What  you  have  said,  and  show  yourselves  true  Romans. 

Bru.  Good  gentlemen,  look  fresh  and  merrily : 
Let  not  our  looks  put  on  our  purposes, 
But  bear  it  as  our  Roman  actors  do, 
With  untired  spirits  and  formal  constancy : 
And  so  good  morrow  to  you  every  one. 

[Exeunt  all  but  Brutus. 

Boy!  Lucius!     Fast  asleep?    It  is  no  matter ; 
Enjoy  the  honey-heavy  dew  of  slumber :  230 

Thou  hast  no  figures  nor  no  fantasies, 
Which  busy  care  draws  in  the  brains  of  men  ; 
Therefore  thou  sleep'st  so  sound. 

Enter  PORTIA. 

For.  Brutus,  my  lord ! 

Bru.  Portia,  what  mean  you?  wherefore  rise  you  now? 
It  is  not  for  your  health  thus  to  commit 
Your  weak  condition  to  the  raw  cold  morning. 

Por.  Nor  for  yours  neither.     You  Ve  ungently,  Brutus, 
Stole  from  my  bed :  and  yesternight,  at  supper, 
You  suddenly  arose,  and  walk'd  about, 

Musing  and  sighing,  with  your  arms  across,  240 

And  when  I  ask'd  you  what  the  matter  was, 
You  stared  upon  me  with  ungentle  looks ; 
I  urged  you  further ;  then  you  scratch'd  your  head, 
And  too  impatiently  stam^'d  with  your  foot ; 
Yet  I  insisted,  yet  you  answered  not, 
But,  with  an  angry  wafture  of  your  hand, 
Gave  sign  for  me  to  leave  you :  so  I  did ; 
Fearing  to  strengthen  that  impatience 
Which  seem'd  too  much  enkindled,  and  withal 
Hoping  it  was  but  an  effect  of  humour,  250 


Scene  i.]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  41 

Which  sometime  hath  his  hour  with  every  man. 
It  will  not  let  you  eat,  nor  talk,  nor  sleep, 
And  could  it  work  so  much  upon  your  shape 
As  it  hath  much  prevaiFd  on  your  condition, 
I  should  not  know  you,  Brutus.     Dear  my  lord. 
Make  me  acquainted  with  your  cause  of  grief. 

Bru.  I  am  not  well  in  health,  and  that  is  all. 

For.  Brutus  is  wise,  and,  were  he  not  in  health, 
He  would  embrace  the  means  to  come  by  it. 

Bru.  Why,  so  I  do.     Good  Portia;  go  to  bed.  260 

For.  Is  Brutus  sick?  and  is  it  physical 
To  walk  unbraced  and  suck  up  the  humours 
Of  the  dank  morning  ?    What,  is  Brutus  sick, 
And  will  he  steal  out  of  his  wholesome  bed, 
To  dare  the  vile  contagion  of  the  night 
And  tempt  the  rheumy  and  unpurged  air 
To  add  unto  his  sickness?     No,  my  Brutus ; 
You  have  some  sick  offence  within  your  mind, 
Wfcich,  by  the  right  and  virtue  of  my  place, 
I  ought  to  know  of:  and,  upon  my  knees,  270 

I  charm  you,  by  my  once-commended  beauty, 
By  all  your  vows  of  love  and  that  great  vow 
Which  did  incorporate  and  make  us  one, 
That  you  unfold  to  me,  yourself,  your  half, 
Why  you  are  heavy,  and  what  men  to-night 
Have  had  resort  to  you :  for  here  have  been 
Some  six  or  seven,  who  did  hide  their  faces 
Even  from  darkness. 

Bru.  Kneel  not,  gentle  Portia. 

For.  I  should  not  need,  if  you  were  gentle  Brutus. 
Within  the  bond  of  marriage,  tell  me,  Brutus,  280 

Is  it  excepted  I  should  know  no  secrets 
That  appertain  to  you?    Am  I  yourself 
But,  as  it  were,  in  sort  or  limitation, 
To  keep  with  you  at  meals,  comfort  your  bed, 
And  talk  to  you  sometimes?     Dwell  I  but  in  the  suburbs 
Of  your  good  pleasure?     If  it  be  no  more, 
Portia  is  Brutus'  harlot,  not  his  wife. 

Bru.  You  are  my  true  and  honourable  wife, 
As  dear  to  me  as  are  the  ruddy  drops 
That  visit  my  sad  heart.  290 

For.  If  this  were  true,  then  should  I  know  this  secret. 
I  grant  I  am  a  woman ;  but  withal 
A  woman  that  Lord  Brutus  took  to  wife : 
I  grant  I  am  a  woman ;  but  withal 


42  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  II. 

A  woman  well-reputed,  Cato's  daughter. 

Think  you  I  am  no  stronger  than  my  sex, 

Being  so  fathead  and  so  husbanded? 

Tell  me  your  counsels,  I  will  not  disclose  'em : 

I  have  made  strong  proof  of  my  constancy, 

Giving  myself  a  voluntary  wound  300 

Here,  in  the  thigh :  can  I  bear  that  with  patience, 

And  not  my  husband's  secrets? 

Bru.  O  ye  gods, 

Render  me  worthy  of  this  noble  wife !         [Knocking  within. 
Hark,  hark!  one  knocks:  Portia,  go  in  awhile; 
And  by  and  by  thy  bosom  shall  partake 
The  secrets  of  my  heart. 
All  my  engagements  I  will  construe  to  thee, 
All  the  charactery  of  my  sad  brows : 
Leave  me  with  haste.  [Exit Portia.]  Lucius, who's  that  knocks 

Re-enter  Lucius  with  LlGARlUS.  A 

Luc.  Here  is  a  sick  man  that  would  speak  with  you.  <^it 

Bru.  Caius  Ligarius,  that  Metellus  spake  of. 
Boy,  stand  aside.     Caius  Ligarius !  how?  Ik 

Lig.  Vouchsafe  good  morrow  from  a  feeble  tongue. 

Bru.  O,  what  a  time  have  you  chose  out,  brave  Caius, 
To  wear  a  kerchief!    Would  you  were  not  sick ! 

Lig.  I  am  not  sick,  if  Brutus  have  in  hand 
Any  exploit  worthy  the  name  of  honour. 

Bru.  Such  an  exploit  have  I  in  hand,  Ligarius, 
Had  you  a  healthful  ear  to  hear  of  it. 

Lig.  By  all  the  gods  that  Romans  bow  before,  320 

I  here  discard  my  sickness !     Soul  of  Rome ! 
Brave  son,  derived  from  honourable  loins ! 
Thou,  like  an  exorcist,  hast  conjured  up 
My  mortified  spirit.     Now  bid  me  run, 
And  I  will  strive  with  things  impossible ; 
Yea,  get  the  better  of  them.     What 's  to  do? 

Bru.  A  piece  of  work  that  will  make  sick  men  whole. 

Lig.  But  are  not  some  whole  that  we  must  make  sick? 

Bru.  That  must  we  also.     What  it  is,  my  Caius, 
I  shall  unfold  to  thee,  as  we  are  going  330 

To  whom  it  must  be  done. 

Lig.  Set  on  your  foot, 

And  with  a  heart  new-fired  I  follow  you, 
To  do  I  know  not  what :  but  it  sufficeth 
That  Brutus  leads  me  on. 

Bru.  Follow  me,  then.  [Exeunt. 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  43 

SCENE  II.    C Cesar's  house. 

Thunder  and  lightning.    Enter  CAESAR,  in  his  night-gown. 

Cas.  Nor  heaven  nor  earth  have  been  at  peace  to-night : 

Thrice  hath  Calpurnia  in  her  sleep  cried  out, 

"  Help,  ho  !  they  murder  Caesar!"     Who's  within? 

Enter  a  Servant. 
Serv.  My  lord? 

Cces.  Go  bid  the  priests  do  present  sacrifice 
And  bring  me  their  opinions  of  success. 

Serv.  I  will,  my  lord.  \Exit. 

Enter  CALPURNIA. 

Cal.  What  mean  you;  Caesar?  think  you  to  walk  forth? 
You  shall  not  stir  out  of  your  house  to-day. 

Cas.  Caesar  shall  forth :  the  things  that  threaten'd  me     10 
Nejerlook'd  but  on  my  barlsT;  when  they  snail  see"~" 
T*he  face  of  Caesar,  they  are  vanished. 

Cal.  Caesar,  I  never  stood  on  ceremonies, 
Yet  now  they  fright  me.     There  is  one  within, 
Besides  the  things  that  we  have  heard  and  seen, 
Recounts  most  horrid  sights  se*en  by  the  watch. 
A  lioness  hath  whelped  in  the  streets ; 
AncT  graves  have  yawn'd,  and  yielded  up  their  dead ; 
Fierce  fiery  warriors  fought  upon  the  clouds, 
In  ranks  and  squadrons  and  right  form  of  war,  20 

Which  drizzled  blood  upon  the  Capitol ; 
The  noise  of  battle  hurtled  in  the  air, 
Horses  did  neigh,  and  dying  men  did  groan, 
And  ghosts  did  shriek  and  squeal  about  the  streets. 
O  Caesar !  these  things  are  beyond  all  use, 
And  I  do  fear  them. 

Cczs.  What  can  be  avoided 

Whose  end  is  purposed  by  the  mighty  gods? 
Yet  Caesar  shall  go  forth ;  for  these  predictions 
Are  to  the  world  in  general  as  to  Caesar. 

Cal.  When  beggars  die,  there  are  no  comets  seen ;          30 
The  heavens  themselves  blaze  forth  the  death  of  princes^ 

Cess.  Cowards  4ie_  many  tiroes  beforg^their  dsaihsj 
The  valiant  never  taste  of  death  but  once. 
Of  all  the  wonders  that  I  yet  have  heard, 
It  seems  to  me  most  strange  that  men  should  fear ; 
Seeing  that  death,  a  necessary  end, 
Will  come  when  it  will  come. 


44  JULIUS  C^SAR.  [Act  II. 

Re-enter  Servant. 

What  say  the  augurers? 

Serif.  They  would  not  have  you  to  stir  forth  to-day. 
Plucking  the  entrails  of  an  offering  forth, 
They  could  not  find  a  heart  within  the  beast.  40 

CCBS.  The  gods  do  this  in  shame  of  cowardice : 
Caesar  should  be  a  beast  without  a  heart, 
If  he  should  stay  at  home  to-day  for  fear. 
No,  Caesar  shall  not :  danger  knows  full  well 
That  Caesar  is  more  dangerous  than  he : 
We  are  two  lions  litter5  d  in  one  day, 
And  I  the  elder  and  more  terrible : 
And  Caesar  shall  go  forth. 

CaL  Alas,  my  lord, 

Your  wisdom  is  consumed  in  confidence. 
Do  not  go  forth  to-day :  call  it  my  fear  50 

That  keeps  you  in  the  house,  and  not  your  own. 
We  '11  send  Mark  Antony  to  the  senate-house ; 
And  he  shall  say  you  are  not  well  to-day : 
Let  me,  upon  my  knee,  prevail  in  this. 

CCBS.  Mark  Antony  shall  say  I  am  not  well ; 
And,  for  thy  humour,  I  will  stay  at  home. 

Enter  BECms.  O'* 

Here  Js  Decius  Brutus,  he  shall  tell  them  so. 

Dec.  Caesar,  all  hail !  good  morrow,  worthy  Caesar  ; 
I  come  to  fetch  you  to  the  senate-house. 

CCBS.  And  you  are  come  in  very  happy  time,  60 

To  bear  my  greeting  to  the  senators 
And  tell  them  that  I  will  not  come  to-day :  -1 
Cannot,  is  false,  and  that  I  dare  not,  falser : 
I  will  not  come  to-day:  tell  them  so,  Decius. 

CaL  Say  he  is  sick.  * 

CCBS.  Shall  Caesar  send  a  lie? 

Have  I  in  conquest  stretch'd  mine  arm  so  far, 
To  be  afeard  to  tell  graybeards  the  truth? 
Decius,  go  tell  them  Caesar  will  not  come. 

Dec.  Most  mighty  Caesar,  let  me  know  some  cause, 
Lest  I  be  laugh'd  at  when  I  tell  them  so.  70 

CCBS.  The  cause  is  in  rny  ^il^'  I  will  not  come; 
That  is  enough  to  satisfy  the  senate. 
But  for  your  private  satisfaction, 
Because  I  love  you,  I  will  let  you  know : 
Calpurnia  here,  my  wife,  stays  me  at  home : 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS   C/ESAR.  45 

She  dreamt  to-night  she  saw  my  statua, 

Which,  like  a  fountain  with  an  hundred  spouts, 

Did  run  pure  blood ;  and  many  lusty  Romans 

Came  smiling,  and  did  bathe  their  hands  in  it : 

And  these  does  she  apply  for  warnings,  and  portents  80 

Of  evils  imminent ;  and  on  her  knee 

Hath  begg'd  that  I  will  stay  at  home  to-day. 

Dec.  This  dream  is  all  amiss  interpreted ; 
It  was  a  vision  fair  and  fortunate: 
Your  statue  spouting  blood  in  many  pipes, 
In  which  so  many  smiling  Romans  bathed, 
Signifies  that  from  you  great  Rome  shall  suck 
Reviving  blood,  and  that  great  men  shall  press 
For  tinctures,  stains,  relics  and  cognizance. 
This  by  Calpurnia's  dream  is  signified.  90 

Cess.  And  this  way  have  you  well  expounded  it. 

Dec.  I  have,  when  you  have  heard  what  I  can  say : 
And  know  it  now :  the  senate  have  concluded 
To  give  this  day  a  crown  to  mighty  Caesar. 
If  you  shall  send  them  word  you  will  not  come, 
Their  minds  may  change.     Besides,  it  were  a  mock 
Apt  to  be  rendered,  for  some  one  to  say 
"  Break  up  the  senate  till  another  time, 
When  Caesar's  wife  shall  meet  with  better  dreams." 
If  Caesar  hide  himself,  shall  they  not  whisper  100 

"Lo,  Caesar  is  afraid"? 
Pardon  me,  Caesar ;  for  my  dear  dear  love 
To  your  proceeding  bids  me  tell  you  this ; 
And  reason  to  my  love  is  liable. 

CCBS.  How  foolish  do  your  fears  seem  now,  Calpurnia! 
I  am  ashamed  I  did  yield  to  them. 
Give  me  my  robe,  for  I  will  go. 

Enter  PUBLIUS,  BRUTUS,  LIGARIUS,  METELLUS,  CASCA, 
TREBONIUS,  and  CINNA. 

And  look  where  Publius  is  come  to  fetch  me. 

Pub.  Good  morrow,  Caesar. 

Cces.  Welcome,  Publius. 

What,  Brutus,  are  you  stirr'd  so  early  too?  no 

Good  morrow,  Casca.     Caius  Ligarius, 
Caesar  was  ne'er  so  much  your  enemy 
As  that  same  ague  which  hath  made  you  lean. 
What  is't  o'clock? 

Bru.  Caesar,  't  is  strucken  eight. 

CCES.  I  thank  you  for  your  pains  and  courtesy. 


46  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  II. 

Enter  ANTONY. 

See !  Antony,  that  revels  long  o'  nights, 

Is  notwithstanding  up.     Good  morrow,  Antony. 

Ant.  So  to  most  noble  Caesar. 

Cces.  Bid  them  prepare  within : 

I  am  to  blame  to  be  thus  waited  for. 

Now,  Cinna:  now,  Metellus:  what,  Treboniusl  120 

I  have  an  hour's  talk  in  store  for  you ; 
Remember  that  you  call  on  me  to-day : 
Be  near  me,  that  I  may  remember  you. 

Treb.  Caesar,  I  will:  [Aside]  and  so  near  will  I  be, 
That  your  best  friends  shall  wish  I  had  been  further. 

CCBS.  Good  friends,  go  in,  and  taste  some  wine  with  me ; 
And  we,  like  friends,  will  straightway  go  together. 

Bru.  [Aside]  That  every  like  is  not  the  same,  O  Caesar, 
The  heart  of  Brutus  yearns  to  think  upon !  [Exeunt. 

SCENE  III.     A  street  near  the  Capitol. 
Enter  ARTEMIDCRUS,  reading  a  paper. 

Art.  "  Caesar,  beware  of  Brutus  :  take  heed  of  Cassius ; 
come  not  near  Casca ;  have  an  eye  to  Cinna ;  trust  not  Tre- 
bonius;  mark  well  Metellus  Cimber:  Decius  Brutus  loves 
thee  not :  thou  hast  wronged  Caius  Ligarius.  There  is  but 
one  mind  in  all  these  men,  and  it  is  bent  against  Caesar.  If 
thou  beest  not  immortal,  look  about  you :  security  gives  way 
to  conspiracy.  The  mighty  gods  defend  thee !  Thy  lover, 

"  ARTEMIDORUS." 

Here  will  I  stand  till  Caesar  pass  along,  1 1 

And  as  a  suitor  will  I  give  him  this. 
My  heart  laments  that  virtue  cannot  live 
Out  of  the  teeth  of  emulation. 
If  thou  read  this,  O  Caesar,. thou  mayst  live; 
If  not,  the  Fates  with  traitors  do  contrive.  [Exit, 

SCENE  IV,    Another  part  of  the  same  street^  before  the 
house  of  Brutus. 

Enter  PORTIA  and  Lucius. 

For.  I  prithee,  boy,  run  to  the  senate-house ; 
Stay  not  to  answer  me,  but  get  thee  gone : 
Why  dost  thou  stay? 

Luc.  To  know  my  errand,  madam. 


Scene^j  JULIUS  CESAR.  47 

For.  I  would  have  had  thee  there,  and  here  again, 
Ere  I  can  tell  thee  what  thou  shouldst  do  there. 

0  constancy,  be  strong  upon  my  side, 

Set  a  huge  mountain  'tween  my  heart  and  tongue ! 

1  have  a  man's  mind,  but  a  woman's  might. 
How  hard  it  is  for  women  to  keep  counsel ! 
Art  thou  here  yet? 

Luc.  Madam,  what  should  I  do?  10 

Run  to  the  Capitol,  and  nothing  else? 
And  so  return  to  you,  and  nothing  else? 

For.  Yes,  bring  me  word,  boy,  if  thy  lord  look  well, 
For  he  went  sickly  forth :  and  take  good  note 
What  Caesar  doth,  what  suitors  press  to  him. 
Hark,  boy!  what  noise  is  that? 

Luc.  I  hear  none,  madam. 

For.  Prithee,  listen  well; 

I  heard  a  bustling  rumour,  like  a  fray, 
And  the  wind  brings  it  from  the  Capitol. 

Luc.  Sooth,  madam,  I  hear  nothing.  20 

Enter  the  Soothsayer. 

For.  Come  hither,  fellow:  which  way  hast  thou  been? 

Sooth.  At  mine  own  house,  good  lady. 

For.  What  is 't  o'clock? 

Sooth.  About  the  ninth  hour,  lady. 

For.  Is  Caesar  yet  gone  to  the  Capitol? 

Sooth.  Madam,  not  yet :  I  go  to  take  my  stand, 
To  see  him  pass  on  to  the  Capitol. 

For.  Thou  hast  some  suit  to  Caesar,  hast  thou  not? 

Sooth.  That  I  have,  lady :  if  it  will  please  Caesar 
To  be  so  good  to  Caesar  as  to  hear  me, 
I  shall  beseech  him  to  befriend  himself.  30 

For.  Why,  know'st  thou  any  harm's  intended  towards  him? 

Sooth.    None  that  I  know  will  be,  much  that  I  fear  may 

chance. 

Good  morrow  to  you.     Here  the  street  is  narrow : 
The  throng  that  follows  Caesar  at  the  heels, 
Of  senators,  of  praetors,  common  suitors, 
Will  crowd  a  feeble  man  almost  to  death : 
I  '11  get  me  to  a  place  more  void,  and  there 
Speak  to  great  Caesar  as  he  comes  along.  [Exit. 

For.  I  must  go  in.     Ay  me,  how  weak  a  thing 
The  heart  of  woman  is !     O  Brutus,  40 

The  heavens  speed  thee  in  thine  enterprise ! 
Sure,  the  boy  heard  me>  Brutus  hath  a  suit 
i  hat  Caesar  will  not  grant.  O,  I  grow  faint. 


48  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  III. 

Run,  Lucius,  and  commend  me  to  my  lord ; 

Say  I  am  merry :  come  to  me  again, 

And  bring  me  word  what  he  doth  say  to  thee. 

{Exeunt  severally 


ACT    III. 

SCENE  I.     Rome.    Before  the  Capitol;  the  Senate 
sitting  above. 

A  crowd  of  people;  among  them  ARTEMIDORUS  and  the 
Soothsayer.  Flourish.  Enter  CAESAR,  BRUTUS,  CAS- 
sius,  CASCA,  DECIUS,  METELLUS,  TREBONIUS,  CINNA, 
ANTONY,  LEPIDUS,  POPILIUS,  PUBLIUS,  and  others. 

Cces.  [  To  the  Soothsay er\  The  ides  of  March  are  come. 

Sooth.  Ay,  Caesar;  but  not  gone. 

Art.  Hail,  Caesar !  read  this  schedule. 

Dec.  Trebonius  doth  desire  you  to  o'er-read, 
At  your  best  leisure,  this  his  humble  suit. 

Art.  O  Caesar,  read  mine  first ;  for  mine  Js  a  suit 
That  touches  Caesar  nearer :  read  it,  great  Caesar. 

CCES.  What  touches  us  ourself  shall  be  last  served. 

Art.  Delay  not,  Caesar;  read  it  instantly. 

CCBS.  What,  is  the  fellow  mad? 

Pub.  Sirrah,  give  place.  10 

Cos.  What,  urge  you  your  petitions  in  the  street? 
Come  to  the  Capitol. 

CAESAR  goes  up  to  the  Senate-House^  the  rest  following. 

Pop.  I  wish  your  enterprise  to-day  may  thrive. 

Cos.  What  enterprise,  Popilius? 

Pop.  Fare  you  well. 

{Advances  to  Ccssar. 

Bru.  What  said  Popilius  Lena? 

Cas.  He  wish'd  to-day  our  enterprise  might  thrive. 
I  fear  our  purpose  is  discovered. 

Bru.  Look,  how  he  makes  to  Caesar :  mark  him. 

Cas.  Casca,  be  sudden,  for  we  fear  prevention. 
Brutus,  what  shall  be  done?  If  this  be  known,  20 

Cassius  or  Caesar  never  shall  turn  back, 
For  I  will  slay  myself. 

Bru.  jCa*5ius^be  Constant : 

Popilius  Lena  speaks  not  of  our  purposes ;' 
For,  look,  he  smiles,  and  Caesar  doth  not  change. 


Scene  x.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  49 

Cas.  Trebonius  knows  his  time ;  for,  look  you,  Brutus, 
He  draws  Mark  Antony  out 'of  the  way. 

[Exeunt  Antony  and  Trebonius. 

Dec.  Where  is  Metellus  Cimber?     Let  him  go, 
And  presently  prefer  his  suit  to  Caesar. 

Bru.  He  is  address'dj:  press  near  and  second  him. 

Cm.  Casca,  you  are  the  first  that  rears  your  hand.  30 

Cos.  Are  we  all  ready?    What  is  now  amiss 
That  Caesar  and  his  senate  must  redress? 

Met.  Most  high,  most  mighty,  and  most  puissant  Caesar, 
Metellus  Cimber  throws  before  thy  seat 
An  humble  heart,—  [Kneeling. 

Cces.  I  must  prevent  thee,  Cimber. 

These  couchings  and  these  lowly  courtesies 
Might  fire  the  blood  of  ordinary  men, 
And  turn  pre-ordinance  and  first  decree 
Into  the  law  of  children.     Be  not  fond, 

To  think  that  Caesar  bears  such  rebel  blood  40 

That  will  be  thawed  from  the  true  quality 
With  that  which  melteth  fools ;  I  mean,  sweet  words, 
Low-crooked  courfsies  and  base  spaniel-fawning. 
Thy  brother  by  decree  is  banished : 
If  thou  dost  bend  and  pray  and  fawn  for  him, 
I  spurn  thee  like  a  cur  out  of  my  way. 
Know,  Caesar  doth  not  wrong,  nor  without  cause 
Will  he  be  satisfied. 

Met.  Is  there  no  voice  more  worthy  than  my  own, 
To  sound  more  sweetly  in  great  Caesar's  ear  50 

For  the  repealing  of  my  banish'd  brother? 

Bru.  I  kiss  thy  hand,  but  not  in  flattery,  Caesar ; 
Desiring  thee  that  Publius  Cimber  may 
Have  an  immediate  freedom  of  repeal. 

Cces.  What,  Brutus ! 

Cas.  Pardon,  Caesar ;  Caesar,  pardon : 

As  low  as  to  thy  foot  doth  Cassius  fall, 
To  beg  enfranchisement  for  Publius  Cimber. 

Cces.  I  could  be  well  moved,  if  I  were  as  you ; 
If  I  could  pray  to  move,  prayers  would  move  me  : 
But  I  am  constant  as  the  northern  star,  60 

Of  whose  true-fix'd  and  resting  quality 
There  is  no  fellow  in  the  firmament. 
The  skies  are  painted  with  unnumbered  sparks, 
They  are  all  fire  and  every  one  doth  shine, 
But  there 's  but  one  in  all  doth  hold  his  place : 
So  in  the  world ;  't  is  furnish' d  well  with  men, 

(8Si)  D 


50  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

j 

And  men  are  flesh  and  blood,  and  apprehensive ; 
Yet  in  the  number  I  do  know  but  one 
That  unassailable  holds  on  his  rank, 

Unshaked  of  motion :  and  that  I  am  he,  70 

Let  me  a  little  show  it,  even  in  this ; 
That  I  was  constant  Cimber  should  be  banish'd, 
And  constant  do  remain  to  keep  him  so. 

Cin.  O  Caesar, — 

Cess.  Hence !  wilt  thou  lift  up  Olympus? 

Dec.  Great  Caesar, — 

CCKS.  Doth  not  Brutus  bootless  kneel? 

Casca.  Speak,  hands,  for  me ! 

[Cased  first,  then  the  other  Conspirators  and  Marcus 

Brutus  stab  Ccesar. 

Cas.  ^ttu.  Brute!     Then  fall,  Caesar !  [Dies. 

Cin.  Liberty !  Freedom !  Tyranny  is  dead ! 
Run  hence,  proclaim,  cry  it  about  the  streets. 

Cos.  Some  to  the  common  pulpits,  and  cry  out  80 

"  Liberty,  freedom,  and  enfranchisement !" 

Bru.  People  and  senators,  be  not  affrighted ; 
Fly  not  i  stand  still :  ambition's  debt  is  paid. 

Casca.  Go  to  the  pulpit,  Brutus. 

Dec.  And  Cassius  too. 

Bru.  Where's  Publius? 

Cin.  Here,  quite  confounded  with  this  mutiny. 

Met.  Stand  fast  together,  lest  some  friend  of  Caesar's 
Should  chance — 

Bru.  Talk  not  of  standing.     Publius,  good  cheer ; 
There  is  no  harm  intended  to  your  person, '  90 

Nor  to  no  Roman  else :  so  tell  them,  Publius. 

Cos.  And  leave  us,  Publius ;  lest  that  the  people, 
Rushing  on  us,  should  do  your  age  some  mischief. 

Bru.  Do  so :  and  let  no  man  abide  this  deed, 
But  we  the  doers. 

Re-enter  TREBONIUS. 

Cos.  Where  is  Antony? 

Tre.     Fled  to  his  house  amazed : 
Men,  wives  and  children  stare,  cry  out  and  run 
As  it  were  doomsday. 

Bru.  Fates,  we,  will  know  your  pleasures : 

That  we  shall  die,  we  know ;  't  is  but  the  time 
And  drawing  days  out,  that  men  stand  upon.  100 

Casca.  Why,  he  that  cuts  off  twenty  years  of  life 
Cuts  off  so  many  years  of  fearing  death. 


Scene  i.J  JULIUS  CESAR.  51 

Bru.  Grant  that,  and  then  is  death  a  benefit : 
So  are  we  Caesar's  friends,  that  have  abridged 
His  time  of  fearing  death.     Stoop,  Romans,  stoop, 
And  let  us  bathe  our  hands  in  Caesar's  blood 
Up  to  the  elbows,  and  besmear  our  swords : 
Then  walk  we  forth,  even  to  the  market-place, 
And,  waving  our  red  weapons  o'er  our  heads, 
Let 's  all  cry  "  Peace,  freedom  and  liberty !"  no 

Cos.  Stoop,  then,  and  wash.     How  many  ages  hence 
Shall  this  our  lofty  scene  be  acted  over 
In  states  unborn  and  accents  yet  unknown ! 

Bru.  How  many  times  shall  Caesar  bleed  in  sport, 
That  now  on  Pompe/s  basis  lies  along 
No  worthier  than  the  dust ! 

Cos.  So  oft  as  that  shall  be, 

So  often  shall  the  knot  of  us  be  call'd 
The  men  that  gave  their  country  liberty. 

Dec.  What,  shall  we  forth? 

Cos.  Ay,  every  man  away : 

Brutus  shall  lead ;  and  we  will  grace  his  heels  120 

With  the  most  boldest  and  best  hearts  of  Rome. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

Bru.  Soft!  who  comes  here?    A  friend  of  Antony's. 

Sen/.  Thus,  Brutus,  did  my  master  bid  me  kneel ; 
Thus  did  Mark  Antony  bid  me  fall  down ; 
And,  being  prostrate,  thus  he  bade  me  say : 
Brutus  is  noble,  wise,  valiant,  and  honest ; 
Caesar  was  mighty,  bold,  royal,  and  loving : 
Say  I  love  Brutus,  and  I  honour  him ; 
Say  I  fear'd  Caesar,  honoured  him  and  loved  him. 
If  Brutus  will  vouchsafe  that  Antony  130 

May  safely  come  to  him,  and  be  resolved 
How  Caesar  hath  deserved  to  lie  in  death,  9  •* 

Mark  Antony  shall  not  love  Caesar  dead 
So  well  as  Brutus  living ;  but  will  follow 
The  fortunes  and  affairs  of  noble  Brutus 
Thorough  the  hazards  of  this  untrod  state 
With  all  true  faith.     So  says  my  master  Antony. 

Bru.  Thy  master  is  a  wise  and  valiant  Roman ; 
I  never  thought  him  worse. 

Tell  him,  so  please  him  come  unto  this  place,  140 

He  shall  be  satisfied ;  and,  by  my  honour, 
Depart  untouch'd. 

Serv.  I  '11  fetch  him  presently.  [Exit. 


52  JULIUS   C^SAR.  [Act  III. 

Bru.  I  know  that  we  shall  have  him  well  to  friend.       "^  ^ 

Cas.  I  wish  we  may :  but  yet  have  I  a  mind 
That  fears  him  much ;  and  my  misgiving  still 
Falls  shrewdly  to  the  purpose. 

Bru.  But  here  comes  Antony. 

Re-enter  ANTONY. 

Welcome,  Mark  Antony, 

Ant.  O  mighty  Caesar !  dost  thou  lie  so  low? 
Are  all  thy  conquests,  glories,  triumphs,  spoils, 
Shrunk  to  this  little  measure  ?  Fare  thee  well.  1 50 

I  know  not,  gentlemen,  what  you  intend, 
Who  else  must  be  let  blood,  who  else  is  rank : 
If  I  myself,  there  is  no  hour  so  fit 
As  Caesar's  death  hour,  nor  no  instrument 
Of  half  that  worth  as  those  your  swords,  made  rich 
With  the  most  noble  blood  of  all  this 'world. 
I  do  beseech  ye,  if  you  bear  me  hard, 
Now,  whilst  your  purpled  hands  do  reek  and  smoke, 
Fulfil  your  pleasure.     Live  a  thousand  years, 
I  shall  not  find  myself  so  apt  to  die :  160 

No  place  will  please  me  so,  no  mean  of  death,;    ^  ^ 
As  here  by  Caesar,  and  by  you  cut  off, 
The  choice  and  master  spirits  of  this  age. 

Bru.  O  Antony,  beg  not  your  death  of  us. 
Though  now  we  must  appear  bloo4y  and  cruel, 
As,  by  our  hands  and  this  our  present  act, 
You  see  we  do,  yet  see  you  but  our  hands 
And  this  the  bleeding  business  they  have  done : 
Our  hearts  you  see  not ;  they  are  pitiful ; 
And  pity  to  the  general  wrong  of  Rome —  170 

As  fire  drives  out  fire,  so  pity  pity — 
Hath  done  this  deed  on  Caesar.     For  your  part, 
To  you  our  swords  have  leaden  points,  Mark  Antony  : 
Our  arms,  in  strength  of  malice,  and  our  hearts 
Of  brothers'  temper,  do  receive  you  in 
With  all  kind  love,  good  thoughts,  and  reverence. 

Cas.  Your  voice  shall  be  as  strong  as  any  man's 
In  the  disposing  of  new  dignities. 

Bru.  Only  be  patient  till  we  have  appeased 
The  multitude,  beside  themselves  with  fear,  180 

And  then  we  will  deliver  you  the  cause, 
Why  I,  that  did  love  Caesar  when  I  struck  him, 
Have  thus  Droceeded. 

Ant.  I  doubt  not  of  your  wisdom. 


Scene  i.j  JULIUS  CESAR.  53 

Let  each  man  render  me  his  bloody  hand : 

First,  Marcus  Brutus,  will  I  shake  with  you ; 

Next,  Caius  Cassius,  do  I  take  your  hand ; 

Now,  Decius  Brutus,  yours ;  now  yours,  Metellus ; 

Yours,  Cinna ;  and,  my  valiant  Casca,  yours ; 

Though  last,  not  least  in  love,  yours,  good  Trebonius. 

Gentlemen  all, — alas,  what  shall  I  say?  190 

My  credit  now  stands  on  such  slippery  ground, 

That  one  of  two  bad  ways  you  must  conceit  me, 

Either  a  coward  or  a  flatterer. 

That  I  did  love  thee,  Caesar,  O,  't  is  true : 

If  then  thy  spirit  look  upon  us  now, 

Shall  it  not  grieve  thee  dearer  than  thy  death 

To  see  thy  Antony  making  his  peace, 

Shaking  the  bloody  ringers  of  thy  foes, 

Most  noble  !  in  the  presence  of  thy  corse? 

Had  I  as  many  eyes  as  thou  hast  wounds,  200 

Weeping  as  fast  as  they  stream  forth  thy  blood, 

It  would  become  me  better  than  to  close 

In  terms  of  ^HBlship  with  thine  enemies. 

Pardon  me^B  ^^!     Here  wast  thou  bayM,  brave  hart ; 

Here  didst^B  ^kll ;  and  here  thy  hunters  stand, 

Sign'd  in  th^llll,  and  crimson'd  in  thy  lethe. 

O  world,  thou  wast  the  forest  to  this  hart ; 

And  this,  indeed,  O  world,  the  heart  of  thee. 

How  like  a  deer,  strucken  by  many  princes, 

Dost  thou  here  lie !  210 

Cos.  Mark  Antony, — 

Ant.  Pardon  me,  Caius  Cassius : 

The  enemies  of  Caesar  shall  say  this ; 
Then,  in  a  friend,  it  is  cold  modesty. 

Cos.  I  blame  you  not  for  praising  Caesar  so ; 
But  what  compact  mean  you  to  have  with  us? 
Will  you  be  prick' d  in  number  of  our  friends ; 
Or  shall  we  on,  and  not  depend  on  you? 

Ant.  Therefore  I  took  your  hands,  but  was,  indeed, 
Swayed  from  the  point,  by  looking  down  on  Caesar. 
Friends  am  I  with  you  all  and  love  you  all,  220 

Upon  this  hope,  that  you  shall  give  me  reasons 
Why  and  wherein  Caesar  was  dangerous. 

Bru.  Or  else  were  this  a  savage  spectacle : 
Our  reasons  are  so  full  of  good  regard 
That  were  you,  Antony,  the  son  of  Caesar, 
You  should  be  satisfied. 

Ant.  That's  all  I  seek: 


54  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

And  am  moreover  suitor  that  I  may 

Produce  his  body  to  the  market-place ; 

And  in  the  pulpit,  as  becomes  a  friend, 

Speak  in  the  order  of  his  funeral.  230 

Bru.  You  shall,  Mark  Antony. 

Cos.  Brutus,  a  word  with  you. 

[Aside  to  JSruJ]    You  know  not  what  you  do :  do  not  consent 
That  Antony  speak  in  his  funeral : 
Know  you  how  much  the  people  may  be  moved 
Bylhat  which  he  will  utter? 

Bru.  By  your  pardon ; 

I  will  myself  into  the  pulpit  first, 
And  show  the  reason  of  our  Caesar's  death : 
What  Antony  shall  speak,  I  will  protest 
He  speaks  by  leave  and  by  permission, 
And  that  we  are  contented  Caesar  shall  240 

Have  all  true  rites  and  lawful  ceremonies. 
It  shall  advantage  more  than  do  us  wrong. 

Cos.  I  know  not  what  may  fall ;  I  like  it  nj 

Bru.  Mark  Antony,  here,  take  you  Caesa 
You  shall  not  in  your  funeral  speech  blam^ 
But  speak  all  good  you  can  devise  of  Ca 
And  say  you  do  Jt  by  our  permission ; 
Else  shall  you  not  have  any  hand  at  all 
About  his  funeral :  and  you  shall  speak 
In  the  same  pulpit  whereto  I  am  going,  250 

After  my  speech  is  ended. 

Ant.  Be  it  so ; 

I  do  desire  no  more. 

Bru.  Prepare  the  body  then,  and  follow  us. 

{Exeunt  all  but  Antony. 

Ant.  O,  pardon  me,  thou  bleeding  piece  of  earth, 
That  I  am  meek  and  gentle  with  these  butchers ! 
Thou  art  the  ruins  of  the  noblest  man 
That  ever  lived  in  the  tide  of  times. 
Woe  to  the  hand  that  shed  this  costly  blood ! 
Over  thy  wounds  now  do  I  prophesy, — 
Which,  like  dumb  mouths,  do  ope  their  ruby  lips,  260 

To  beg  the  voice  and  utterance  of  my  tongue — 
A  curse  shall  light  upon  the  limbs  of  men ; 
Domestic  fury  and  fierce  civil  strife 
Shall  cumber  all  the  parts  of  Italy ; 
Blood  and  destruction  shall  be  so  in  use 
And  dreadful  objects  so  familiar 
That  mothers  shall  but  smile  when  they  behold 


Scene  a.]  JULIUS  C^SAR.  55 

Their  infants  quarter'd  with  the  hands  of  war ; 

All  pity  choked  with  custom  of  fell  deeds : 

And  Caesar's  spirit,  ranging  for  revenge,  270 

With  Ate  by  his  side  come  hot  from  hell, 

Shall  in  these  confines  with  a  monarch's  voice 

Cry  "  Havoc,"  and  let  slip  the  dogs  of  war ; 

That  this  foul  deed  shall  smell  above  the  earth 

With  carrion  men,  groaning  for  burial. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

You  serve  Octavius  Caesar,  do  you  not? 

Serv.  I  do,  Mark  Antony. 

Ant.  Caesar  did  write  for  him  to  come  to  Rome. 

Serv.  He  did  receive  his  letters,  and  is  coming ; 
And  bid  me  say  to  you  by  word  of  mouth —  280 

O  Caesar ! —  [Seeing  the  body. 

Ant.  Thy  heart  is  big,  get  thee  apart  and  weep. 
Passion,  I  sj^is  catching ;  for  mine  eyes, 
Seeing  tho^^feads  of  sorrow  stand  in  thine, 
Began  to^l  ^L  Is  thy  master  coming? 

Serv.  jH    Ro-night  within  seven  leagues  of  Rome. 

Ant.    J^^HpLck  with   speed,   and    tell    him   what   hath 

chancel: 

Here  is  a  mourning  Rome,  a  dangerous  Rome, 
No  Rome  of  safety  for  Octavius  yet ; 

Hie  hence,  and  tell  him  so.     Yet,  stay  awhile ;  290 

Thou  shalt  not  back  till  I  have  borne  this  corse 
Into  the  market-place :  there  shall  I  try, 
In  my  oration,  how  the  people  take 
The  cruel  issue  of  these  bloody  men ; 
According  to  the  which,  thou  shalt  discourse 
To  young  Octavius  of  the  state  of  things. 
Lend  me  your  hand.  \Exeunt  with  Ccesar's  body 

SCENE  II.     The  Forum. 
Enter  BRUTUS  and  CASSIUS,  and  a  throng  of  Citizens. 

Citizens.  We  will  be  satisfied ;  let  us  be  satisfied. 

Bru.  Then  follow  me,  and  give  me  audience,  friends. 
Cassius,  go  you  into  the  other  street, 
And  part  the  numbers. 

Those  that  will  hear  me  speak,  let  'em  stay  here ; 
Those  that  will  follow  Cassius,  go  with  him ; 


56  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

And  public  reasons  shall  be  rendered 
Of  Caesar's  death. 

First  Cit.  I  will  hear  Brutus  speak. 

Sec.  Cit.  I  will  hear  Cassius ;  and  compare  their  reasons, 
When  severally  we  hear  them  rendered.  10 

\Exit  Cassius •,  with  some  of  the  Citizens. 
Brutus  goes  into  the  pulpit. 

Third  Cit.  The  noble  Brutus  is  ascended:  silence! 

Bru.  Be  patient  till  the  last. 

Romans,  countrymen,  and  lovers !  hear  me  for  my  cause,  and 
be  silent,  that  you  may  hear :  believe  me  for  mine  honour,  and 
have  respect  to  mine  honour,  that  you  may  believe :  censure 
me  in  your  wisdom,  and  awake  your  senses,  that  you  may  the 
better  judge.  If  there  be  any  in  this  assembly,  any  dear  friend 
of  Caesar's,  to  him  I  say,  that  Brutus'  love  to  Caesar  was  no 
less  than  his.  If  then  that  friend  demand  why  Brutus  rose 
against  Caesar,  this  is  my  answer: — Not  that  I  loved  Caesar 
less,  but  that  I  loved  Rome  more.  Had  you  rather  Caesar 
were  living  and  die  all  slaves,  than  that  CaesaAfcere  dead,  to 
live  all  free  men  ?  As  Caesar  loved  me,  I  ^•Hbr  him ;  as 
he  was  fortunate,  1  rejoice  at  it;  as  he  was^  ^L  I  honour 
him :  but,  as  he  was  ambitious,  I  slew  him.W  ^m(-  is  tears 
for  his  love  j  joy  for  his  fortune ;  honour  for^P^alour ;  and 
death  for  his  ambition.  Who  is  here  so  base  that  would  be  a 
bondman?  If  any,  speak;  for  him  have  I  offended.  Who  is 
here  so  rude  that  would  not  be  a  Roman?  If  any,  speak;  for 
him  have  I  offended.  Who  is  here  so  vile  that  will  not  love 
his  country?  If  any,  speak;  for  him  have  I  offended.  I  pause 
for  a  reply.  37 

All.  None,  Brutus,  none 

Bru.  Then  none  have  I  offended.  I  have  done  no  more 
to  Caesar  than  you  shall  do  to  Brutus.  The  question  of  his 
death  is  enrolled  in  the  Capitol;  his  glory  not  extenuated, 
wherein  he  was  worthy,  nor  his  offences  enforced,  for  which 
he  suffered  death.  44 

Enter  ANTONY  and  others,  with  CAESAR'S  body. 

Here  comes  his  body,  mourned  by  Mark  Antony :  who,  though 
he  had  no  hand  in  his  death,  shall  receive  the  benefit  of  his 
dying,  a  place  in  the  commonwealth ;  as  which  of  you  shall 
not?  With  this  I  depart, — that,  as  I  slew  my  best  lover  for 
the  good  of  Rome,  I  have  the  same  dagger  for  myself,  when 
it  shall  please  my  country  to  need  my  death.  52 

All.  Live,  Brutus !  live,  live ! 

First  Cit.  Bring  him  with  triumph  home  unto  his  house. 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  57 

Sec.  Cit.  Give  him  a  statue  with  his  ancestors. 

Third  Cit.  Let  him  be  Caesar. 

Fourth  Cit.  Caesar's  better  parts 

Shall  be  crown'd  in  Brutus. 

First  Cit.  We  '11  bring  him  to  his  house 

With  shouts  and  clamours. 

Bru.  My  countrymen, — 

Sec.  Cit.  Peace,  silence !  Brutus  speaks. 

First  Cit.  Peace,  ho! 

Bru.  Good  countrymen,  let  me  depart  alone,  60 

And,  for  my  sake,  stay  here  with  Antony : 
Do  grace  to  Caesar's  corpse,  and  grace  his  speech 
Tending  to  Caesar's  glories ;  which  Mark  Antony, 
By  our  permission,  is  allowed  to  make. 
I  do  entreat  you,  not  a  man  depart, 
Save  I  alone,  till  Antony  have  spoke.  [Exit. 

First  Cit.  Stay,  ho!  and  let  us  hear  Mark  Antony. 

Third  Cit.  Let  him  go  up  into  the  public  chair ; 
We  '11  hear  him.     Noble  Antony,  go  up.  69 

Ant.  FojJkitus'  sake,  I  am  beholding  to  you. 

^1 B  [Goes  into  the  pulpit. 

Fourth^^ftf\&.\.  does  he  say  of  Brutus? 

Third  Cit?  He  says,  for  Brutus'  sake, 

He  finds  himself  beholding  to  us  all. 

Fourth  Cit.  'T  were  best  he  speak  no  harm  of  Brutus  here, 

First  Cit.     This  Caesar  was  a  tyrant. 

Third  Cit.  Nay,  that 's  certain  • 

We  are  blest  that  Rome  is  rid  of  him. 

Sec.  Cit.  Peace !  let  us  hear  what  Antony  can  say. 

Ant.  You  gentle  Romans, — 

Citizens.  Peace,  ho !  let  us  hear  him. 

Ant.  Friends,  Romans,  countrymen,  lend  me  your  ears ; 
I  come  to  bury  Caesar,  not  to  praise  him. 
The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them ;  80 

The  good  is  oft  interred  with  their  bones ; 
So  let  it  be  with  Caesar.     The  noble  Brutus 
Hath  told  you  Caesar  was  ambitious t 
If  it  were  so,  it  was  a  grievous  fault,! 
And  grievously  hath  Caesar  answer'dii 
Here,  under  leave  of  Brutus  and  the  rest — 
^or  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man ; 
So  are  tEey" all,  all  honSnrabfeTneh — 
Come  I  to  speak  in  Caesar's  funeral. 

He  was  my  friend,  faithful  and  just  to  me ;  90 

But  Brutus  says  he  was  ambitious ; 


e  r>n 

•I 

•ait 


58  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

And  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man. 

He  hath  brought  many  captives  home  to  Rome, 

Whose  ransoms  did  the  general  coffers  fill : 

Did  this  in  Caesar  seem  ambitious? 

When  that  the  poor  have  cried,  Caesar  hath  wept : 

Ambition  should  be  made  of  sterner  stuff: 

Yet  Brutus  says  he  was  ambitious ; 

And  Brutus  is  an  honourable  man. 

You  all  did  see  that  on  the  Lupercal  100 

I  thrice  presented  him  a  kingly  crown, 

Which  he  did  thrice  refuse:  was  this  ambition? 

Yet  Brutus  says  he  was  ambitious; 

And,  sure,  he  is  an  honourable  man. 

I  speak  not  to  disprove  what  Brutus  spoke, 

But  here  I  am  to  speak  what  I  do  know. 

You  all  did  love  him  once,  not  without  cause : 

What  cause  withholds  you  then,  to  mourn  for  him? 

0  judgement !  thou  art  fled  to  brutish  beasts, 

And  men  have  lost  their  reason.     Bear  with  me^  1 10 

My  heart  is  in  the  coffin  there  with  Caesar, 

And  I  must  pause  till  it  come  back  to  me. 
First  Cit.  Methinks  there  is  much  reason 
Sec.  Cit.  If  thou  consider  rightly  of  the  matter, 

Caesar  has  had  great  wrong. 

Third  Cit.  Has  he,  masters? 

1  fear  there  will  a  worse  come  in  his  place. 

Fourth  Cit.  Mark;d  ye  his  words?    He  would  not  take  the 

crown ; 
Therefore  Jt  is  certain  he  was  not  ambitious. 

First  Cit.  If  it  be  found  so,  some  will  dear  abide  it.       119 

Sec.  Cit.  Poor  soul !  his  eyes  are  red  as  fire  with  weeping. 

Third  Cit.  There's  not  a  nobler  man  in  Rome  than  Antony. 

Fourth  Cit.  Now  mark  him,  he  begins  again  to  speak. 

Ant.  But  yesterday  the  word  of  Caesar  might 
Have  stood  against  the  world ;  now  lies  he  there, 
And  none  so  poor  to  do  him  reverence. 

0  masters,  if  I  were  disposed  to  stir 

Your  hearts  and  minds  to  mutiny  and  rage,  4 

1  should,  do  Brutus  wrong,  and  Cassius  wrong, 
Who,  you  all  know,  are  honourable  men : 

I  will  not  do  them  wrong;  I  rather  choose  130 

To  wrong  the  dead,  to  wrong  myself  and  you,| 
Than  I  will  wrong  such  honourable  men.    , 
But  here  Js  a  parchment  with  the  seal  of  Caesar; 
I  found  it  in  his  closet,  3t  is  his  will : 


I 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  59 

Let  but  the  commons  hear  this  testament— 

Which,  pardon  me,  I  do  not  mean  to  read— 

And  they  would  go  and  kiss  dead  Caesar's  wounds 

And  dip  their  napkins  in  his  sacred  blood, 

Yea,  beg  a  hair  of  him  for  memory, 

And,  dying,  mention  it  within  their  wills,  140 

Bequeathing  it  as  a  rich  legacy 

Unto  their  issue. 

Fourth  Cit.  We  '11  hear  the  will :  read  it,  Mark  Antony. 

All.  The  will,  the  will !  we  will  hear  Caesar's  will. 

Ant.  Have  patience,  gentle  friends,  I  must  not  read  it ; 
It  is  not  meet  you  know  how  Caesar  loved  you. 
You  are  not  wood,  you  are  not  stones,  but  men ; 
And,  being  men,  hearing  the  will  of  Caesar, 
It  will  inflame  you,  it  will  make  you  mad: 
'T  is  good  you  know  not  that  you  are  his  heirs ;  1 50 

For,  if  you  should,  O,  what  would  come  of  it ! 

Fourth  Cit.  Read  the  will ;  we  '11  hear  it,  Antony ; 
You  shall  read  us  the  will,  Caesar's  will. 

Ant.  Will  you  be  patient?  will  you  stay  awhile? 
I  have  o'ersllbt- myself  to  tell  you  of  it: 
I  fear  I  wronjg  the  honourable  men 
Whose  daggers  have  stabb'd  Caesar ;  I  do  fear  it. 

Fourth  Cit.  They  were  traitors :  honourable  men ! 

All.  The  will !  the  testament ! 

Sec.  Cit.  They  were  villains,  murderers :    the  will !   read 
the  will.  1 60 

Ant.  You  will  compel  me,  then,  to  read  the  will? 
Then  make  a  ring  about  the  corpse  of  Caesar, 
And  let  me  show  you  him  that  made  the  will. 
Shall  I  descend?  and  will  you  give  me  leave? 

Several  Cit.  Come  down. 

Sec.  Cit.  Descend. 

Third  Cit.  You  shall  have  leave.        {Antony  comes  down. 

Fourth  Cit.  A  ring ;  stand  round. 

First  Cit.  Stand  from  the  hearse,  stand  from  the  body. 

Sec.  Cit.  Room  for  Antony,  most  noble  Antony.  170 

Ant.  Nay,  press  not  so  upon  me ;  stand  far  off. 

Several  Cit.  Stand  back ;  room ;  bear  back. 

Ant.  If  you  have  tears,  prepare  to  shed  them  now. 
You  all  do  know  this  mantle :  I  remember 
The  first  time  ever  Caesar  put  it  on ; 
;T  was  on  a  summer's  evening,  in  his  tent, 
That  day  he  overcame  the  Nervii : 
Look,  in  this  place  ran  Cassius5  dagger  through  i 


60  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  III. 

See  what  a  rent  the  envious  Casca  made : 
Through  this  the  well-beloved  Brutus  stabb'd;  180 

And  as  he  pluck'd  his  cursed  steel  away, 
Mark  how  the  blood  of  Caesar  follow'd  it, 
As  rushing  out  of  doors,  to  be  resolved 
If  Brutus  so  unkindly  knock'd,  or  no ; 
For  Brutus,  as  you  know,  was  Caesar's  angel : 
Judge,  O  you  gods,  how  dearly  Caesar  loved  him? 
This  was  the  most  unkindest  cut  of  all ; 
For  when  the  noble  Caesar  saw  him  stab, 
Ingratitude,  more  strong  than  traitors'  arms, 
Quite  vanquish'd  him:  then  burst  his  mighty  heart;          190 
And,  in  his  mantle  muffling  up  his  face, 
Even  at  the  base  of  Pompey's  statua, 
Which  all  the  while  ran  blood,  great  Caesar  fell. 
O,  what  a  fall  was  there,  my  countrymen ! 
Then  I,  and  you,  and  all  of  us  fell  down, 
Whilst  bloody  treason  flourish'd  over  us. 
O,  now  you  weep ;  and,  I  perceive,  you  feel 
The  dint  of  pity :  these  are  gracious  drops. 
Kind  souls,  what,  weep  you  when  you  but  beholA 
Our  Caesar's  vesture  wounded?    Look  you  here,  *  200 

Here  is  himself,  marr'd,  as  you  see,  with  traitors. 
First  Cit.  O  piteous  spectacle ! 
Sec.  Cit.  O  noble  Ccesar ! 
Third  Cit.  O  woful  day ! 
Fourth  Cit.  O  traitors,  villains ! 
First  Cit.  O  most  bloody  sight ! 
Sec.  Cit.  We  will  be  revenged. 

All.  Revenge!   About!   Seek!    Burn!    Fire!    Kill!   Slay! 
Let  not  a  traitor  live ! 

Ant.  Stay,  countrymen.  210 

First  Cit.  Peace  there  !  hear  the  noble  Antony. 
Sec.  Cit.  We'll  hear  him,  we'll  follow  him,  we'll  die  with 
him. 

Ant.  Good  friends,  sweet  friends,  let  me  not  stir  you  up 
To  such  a  sudden  flood  of  mutiny. 
They  that  have  done  this  deed  are  honourable  : 
What  private  griefs  they  have,  alas,  I  know  not, 
That  made  them  do  it :  they  are  wise  and  honourable, 
And  will,  no  doubt,  with  reasons  answer  you. 
I  come  not,  friends,  to  steal  away  your  hearts :  220 

I  am  no  orator,  as  Brutus  is ; 
But,  a?  you  know  me  all,  a  plain  blunt  man, 
That  love  my  friend ;  and  that  they  know  full  well 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  OESAR.  61 

That  gave  me  public  leave  to  speak  of  him : 

For  I  have  neither  wit,  nor  words,  nor  worth, 

Action,  nor  utterance,  nor  the  power  of  speech, 

To  stir  men's  blood :  I  only  speak  right  on ; 

I  tell  you  that  which  you  yourselves  do  know ; 

Show  you  sweet  Caesar's  wounds,  poor  poor  dumb  mouths, 

And  bid  them  speak  for  me :  but  were  I  Brutus,  230    ^ 

And  Brutus  Antony,  there  were  an  Antonju^^s  i^Jij  •  oAffa 

Would  ruffle  up  your  spirits  and  put  a  tongue   / 

In  every  wound  of  Caesar  that  should  move 

The  stones  of  Rome  to  rise  and  mutiny. 

All.  We '11  mutiny. 

First  Cit.  We  '11  burn  the  house  of  Brutus. 

Third  Cit.  Away,  then !  come,  seek  the  conspirators. 

Ant.  Yet  hear  me,  countrymen ;  yet  hear  me  speak. 

AIL  Peace,  ho !     Hear  Antony.     Most  noble  Antony!]  ^A 

Ant.  Why,  friends,  you  go  to  do  you  know  not  what : 
Wherein  hath  Caesar  thus  deserved  your  loves?  241 

Alas,  you  know  not :  I  must  tell  you,  then : 
You  have  forgot  the  will  I  told  you  of. 

All.  Most  true.     The  will !     Let 's  stay  and  hear  the  will ! 

Ant.  Here  is  the  will,  and  under  Caesar's  seal. 
To  every  Roman  citizen  he  gives, 
To  every  several  man,  seventy  five  drachmas. 

Sec.  Cit.  Most  noble  Caesar !     We  '11  revenge  his  death. 

Third  Cit.  O  royal  Caesar ! 

Ant.  Hear  me  with  patience.  -  250 

-37/TPeace,  ho ! 

Ant.  Moreover,  he  hath  left  you  all  his  walks, 
His  private  arbours  and  new-planted  orchards, 
On  this  side  Tiber ;  he  hath  left  them  you, 
And  to  your  heirs  for  ever,  common  pleasures, 
To  walk  abroad,  and  recreate  yourselves. 
Here  was  a  Caesar!  when  comes  such  another?" 

First  Cit.  Never,  never.     Come,  away,  away ! 
We  '11  burn  his  body  in  the  holy  place, 

And  with  the  brands  fire  the  traitors'  houses.  \       260 

Take  up  the  body. 

Sec.  Cit.  Go  fetch  fire. 

Third  Cit.  Pluck  down  benches. 

Fourth  Cit.  Pluck  down  forms,  windows,  any  thing^ 

[Exeunt  Citizens  with  the  body. 

Ant.  Now  let  it  work.     Mischief,  thou  art  afoot, 
Take  thou  what  course  thou  wilt ! 


62  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

Enter  a  Servant. 

How  now,  fellow ! 

Serv.  Sir,  Octavius  is  already  come  to  Rome. 

Ant.  Where  is  he? 

Serv.  He  and  Lepidus  are  at  Caesar's  house. 

Ant.  And  thither  will  I  straight  to  visit  him:  270 

He  comes  upon  a  wish.     Fortune  is  merry, 
And  in  this  mood  will  give  us  any  thing. 

Serv.  I  heard  him  say,  Brutus  and  Cassius 
Are  rid  like  madmen  through  the  gates  of  Rome. 

Ant.  Belike  they  had  some  notice  of  the  people, 
How  I  had  moved  them.     Bring  me  to  Octavius.     [Exeunt. 

SCENE  III.    A  street. 
Enter  CINNA  the  poet. 

Cm.  I  dreamt  to-night  that  I  did  feast  with  Caesar, 
And  things  unluckily  charge  my  fantasy : 
I  have  no  will  to  wander  forth  of  doors, 
Yet  something  leads  me  forth. 

Enter  Citizens. 

First  Cit.  What  is  your  name? 

Sec.  Cit.  Where  do  you  dwell? 

Third  Cit.  Whither  are  you  going? 

Fourth  Cit  Are  you  a  married  man  or  a  bachelor? 

Sec.  Cit.  Answer  every  man  directly.  10 

First  Cit.  Ay,  and  briefly. 

Fourth  Cit.  Ay,  and  wisely. 

Third  Cit.  Ay,  and  truly,  you  were  best. 

Cin.  What  is  my  name?  Whither  am  I  going?  Where 
do  I  dwell?  Am  I  a  married  man  or  a  bachelor?  Then,  to 
answer  every  man  directly  and  briefly,  wisely  and  truly: 
wisely  I  say,  I  am  a  bachelor. 

Sec.  Cit.  That's  as  much  as  to  say,  they  are  fools  that 
marry :  you  '11  bear  me  a  bang  for  that,  I  fear.  Proceed ; 
directly.  21 

Cin.  Directly,  I  am  going  to  Caesar's  funeral. 

First  Cit.  As  a  friend  or  an  enemy? 

Cin.  As  a  friend. 

Sec.  Cit.  That  matter  is  answered  directly. 

Fourth  Cit.  For  your  dwelling, — briefly. 

Cin.  Briefly,  I  dwell  by  the  Capitol. 


Scenes-]  JULIUS  CESAR.  63 

Third  Cit.  Your  name,  sir,  truly. 

Cm.  Truly,  my  name  is  Cinna. 

First  Cit.  Tear  him  to  pieces ;  he 's  a  conspirator.  31 

Cin.  I  am  Cinna  the  poet,  I  am  Cinna  the  poet. 

Fourth  Cit.  Tear  him  for  his  bad  verses,  tear  him  for  his 
bad  verses. 

Cin.  I  am  not  Cinna  the  conspirator. 

Fourth  Cit.  It  is  no  matter,  his  name 's  Cinna ;  pluck  but 
his  name  out  of  his  heart,  and  turn  him  going. 

Third  Cit.  Tear  him,  tear  him !  Come,  brands,  ho !  fire- 
brands: to  Brutus',  to  Cassius';  burn  all:  some  to  Decius' 
house,  and  some  to  Casca's ;  some  to  Ligarius' :  away,  go ! 

\fLxeunt. 


ACT  IV. 

SCENE  I.    A  house  in  Rome. 
ANTONY,  OCTAVIUS,  and  LEPIDUS,  seated  at  a  table. 

Ant.  These   many,    then,    shall    die ;    their   names    are 
priced. 

Oct.  Your  brother  too  must  die;  consent  you,  Lepidus? 

Lep.  I  do  consent, — 

Oct.  Prick  him  down,  Antony. 

Lep.  Upon  condition  Publius  shall  not  live, 
Who  is  your  sister's  son,  Mark  Antony. 

Ant.  He  shall  not  live ;  look,  with  a  spot  I  damn  him. 
But,  Lepidus,  go  you  to  Caesar's  house ; 
Fetch  the  will  hither,  and  we  shall  determine 
How  to  cut  off  some  charge  in  legacies. 

Lep.  What,  shall  I  find  you  here?  10 

Oct.  Or  here,  or  at  the  Capitol.  [Exit  Lepidus. 

Ant.  This  is  a  slight  unmeritable  man, 
Meet  to  be  sent  on  errands :  is  it  fit, 
The  three-fold  world  divided,  he  should  stand 
One  of  the  three  to  share  it? 

Oct.  So  you  thought  him ; 

And  took  his  voice  who  should  be  prick'd  to  die, 
In  our  black  sentence  and  proscription. 

Ant.  Octavius,  I  have  seen  more  days  than  you: 
And  though  we  lay  these  honours  on  this  man, 
To  ease  ourselves  of  divers  slanderous  loads,  20 

He  shall  but  bear  them  as  the  ass  bears  gold, 
To  groan  and  sweat  under  the  business, 


64  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  IV. 

Either  led  or  driven,  as  we  point  the  way ; 
And  having  brought  our  treasure  where  we  will, 
Then  take  we  down  his  load,  and  turn  him  off, 
Like  to  the  empty  ass,  to  shake  his  ears, 
And  graze  in  commons. 

Oct.  You  may  do  your  will ; 

But  he 's  a  tried  and  valiant  soldier. 

Ant.  So  is  my  horse,  Octavius ;  and  for  that 
I  do  appoint  him  store  of  provender :  30 

It  is  a  creature  that  I  teach  to  fight, 
To  wind,  to  stop,  to  run  directly  on, 
His  corporal  motion  govern'd  by  my  spirit. 
And,  in  some  taste,  is  Lepidus  but  so ; 
He  must  be  taught  and  train'd  and  bid  go  forth; 
A  barren-spirited  fellow ;  one  that  feeds 
On  abjects,  orts  and  imitations, 
Which,  out  of  use  and  staled  by  other  men, 
Begin  his  fashion :  do  not  talk  of  him, 

But  as  a  property.     And  now,  Octavius,  40 

Listen  great  things : — Brutus  .and  Cassius 
Are  levying  powers:  we  must  straight  make  head: 
Therefore  let  our  alliance  be  combined, 
Our  best  friends  made,  our  means  stretch'd ; 
And  let  us  presently  go  sit  in  council, 
How  covert  matters  may  be  best  disclosed, 
And  open  perils  surest  answered. 

Oct.  Let  us  do  so :  for  we  are  at  the  stake, 
And  bay'd  about  with  many  enemies ; 

And  some  that  smile  have  in  their  hearts,  I  fear,  50 

Millions  of  mischiefs.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE  II.     Camp  near  Sardis.     Before  Brutus' s  tent. 

Drum.    Enter  BRUTUS,  LUCILIUS,  LUCIUS,  and  Soldiers; 
TITINIUS  and  PINDARUS  meeting  them. 

Bru.  Stand,  ho ! 

Lucil.  Give  the  word,  ho !  and  stand. 

Bru.  What  now,  Lucilius !  is  Cassius  near? 

Lucil.  He  is  at  hand ;  and  Pindarus  is  come 
To  do  you  salutation  from  his  master. 

Bru.  He  greets  me  well.     Your  master,  Pindarus, 
In  his  own  change,  or  by  ill  officers, 
Hath  given  me  some  worthy  cause  to  wish 
Things  done,  undone :  but,  if  he  be  at  hand, 
I  shall  be  satisfied. 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  OESAR.  65 

Pin.  I  do  not  doubt  10 

But  that  my  noble  master  will  appear 
Such  as  he  is,  full  of  regard  and  honour. 

Bru.  He  is  not  doubted.    A  word,  Lucilius ; 
How  he- received  you,  let  me  be  resolved. 

Lucil.  With  courtesy  and  with  respect  enough ; 
But  not  with  such  familiar  instances, 
Nor  with  such  free  and  friendly  conference, 
As  he  hath  used  of  old. 

Bru.  Thou  hast  described 

A  hot  friend  cooling :  ever  note,  Lucilius, 
When  love  begins  to  sicken  and  decay,  20 

It  useth  an  enforced  ceremony. 
There  are  no  tricks  in  plain  and  simple  faith ; 
But  hollow  men,  like  horses  hot  at  hand, 
Make  gallant  show  and  promise  of  their  mettle : 
But  when  they  should  endure  the  bloody  spur, 
They  fall  their  crests,  and,  like  deceitful  jades, 
Sink  in  the  trial.     Comes  his  army  on? 

Lucil.  They  mean  this  night  in  Sardis  to  be  quarter'd  ; 
The  greater  part,  the  horse  in  general, 
Are  come  with  Cassius. 

Bru.  Hark !  he  is  arrived.  30 

[Low  march  within. 
March  gently  on  to  meet  him. 

Enter  CASSIUS  and  his  powers. 

Cos.  Stand,  ho ! 

Bru.  Stand,  ho !     Speak  the  word  along. 

First  Sol.  Stand! 

Sec.  Sol.  Stand ! 

Third  Sol.  Stand! 

Cos.  Most  noble  brother,  you  have  done  me  wrong. 

Bru.  Judge  me,  you  gods !  wrong  I  mine  enemies  ? 
And,  if  not  so,  how  should  I  wrong  a  brother? 

Cas.  Brutus,  this  sober  form  of  yours  hides  wrongs ;        40 
And  when  you  do  them — 

Bru.  Cassius,  be  content ; 

Speak  your  griefs  softly :  I  do  know  you  well. 
Before  the  eyes  of  both  our  armies  here, 
Which  should  perceive  nothing  but  love  from  us, 
Let  us  not  wrangle :  bid  them  move  away ; 
Then  in  my  tent,  Cassius,  enlarge  your  griefs, 
And  I  will  give  you  audience. 

Cas.  Pindarus, 

(831)  K 


66  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  IV. 

Bid  our  commanders  lead  their  charges  off 
A  little  from  this  ground. 

Bru.  Lucilius,  do  you  the  like ;  and  let  no  man  50 

Come  to  our  tent  till  we  have  done  our  conference. 
Let  Lucius  and  Titinius  guard  our  door.  [Exeunt 

SCENE  III.    Brutus 's  tent. 

Enter  BRUTUS  and  CASSIUS. 

Cos.  That  you  have  wrong'd  me  doth  appear  in  this : 
You  have  condemn'd  and  noted  Lucius  Pella 
For  taking  bribes  here  of  the  Sardians ; 
Wherein  my  letters,  praying  on  his  side, 
Because  I  knew  the  man,  were  slighted  off. 

Bru.  Xou  wrong'd  yourself  to  write  in  such  a  case. 

Cas.  In  such  a  time  as  this  it  is  not  meet 
That  every  nice  offence  should  bear  his  comment. 

Bru.  Let  me  tell  you,  Cassius,  you  yourself 
Are  much  condemn'd  to  have  an  itching  palm ;  10 

To  sell  and  mart  your  offices  for  gold 
To  undeservers. 

Cas.  I  an  itching  palm ! 

You  know  that  you  are  Brutus  that  speak  this, 
Or,  by  the  gods,  this  speech  were  else  your  last. 

Bru.  The  name  of  Cassius  honours  this  corruption, 
And  chastisement  doth  therefore  hide  his  head. 

Cas.  Chastisement! 

Bru.  Remember  March,  the  ides  of  March  remember : 
Did  not  great  Julius  bleed  for  justice'  sake? 
What  villain  touch'd  his  body,  that  did  stab,  20 

And  not  for  justice?    What,  shall  one  of  us, 
ThaTstruck the  Foremost  man  of  all  this  world 
But  for  supporting  robbers,  shall  we  now 
Contaminate  our  fingers  with  base  bribes, 
And  sell  the  mighty  space  of  our  large  honours 
For  so  much  trash  as  may  be  grasped  thus? 
I  had  rather  be  a  dog,  and  bay  the  moon, 
Than  such  a  Roman. 

Cas.  Brutus,  bay  not  me ; 

I  '11  not  endure  it :  you  forget  yourself, 

To  hedge  me  in ;  I  am  a  soldier,  I,  30 

Older  in  practice,  abler  than  yourself 
To  make  conditions, 

Bru.  Go  to ;  you  are  not,  Cassius. 


Scene3.]  JULIUS  C^SAR.  67 

Cos  I  am. 

Bru.  I  say  you  are  not. 

Cos.  Urge  me  no  more,  I  shall  forget  myself; 
Have  mind  upon  your  health,  tempt  me  no  farther. 

Bru.  Away,  slight  man ! 

Cos.  I s't  possible? 

Bru.  Hear  me,  for  I  will  speak. 

Must  I  give  way  and  room  to  your  rash  choler? 
Shall  I  be  frighted  when  a  madman  stares?  40 

Cos.  O  ye  gods,  ye  gods !  must  I  endure  all  this? 

Bru.  All  this !  ay,  more :  fret  till  your  proud  heart  break ; 
Go  show  your  slaves  how  choleric  you  are, 
And  make  your  bondmen  tremble.     Must  I  budge? 
Must  I  observe  you?  must  I  stand  and  crouch 
Under  your  testy  humour?     By  the  gods, 
You  shall  digest  the  venom  of  your  spleen, 
Though  it  do  split  you ;  for,  from  this  day  forth, 
I  '11  use  you  for  my  mirth,  yea,  for  my  laughter, 
When  you  are  waspish. 

Cos.  Is  it  come  to  this?  5° 

Bru  You  say  you  are  a  better  soldier ; 
Let  it  appear  so ;  make  your  vaunting  true, 
And  it  shall  please  me  well :  for  mine  own  part, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  learn  of  noble  men. 

Cos.  You  wrong  me  every  way ;  you  wrong  me,  Brutus ; 
I  said,  an  elder  soldier,  not  a  better : 
Did  I  say  '  better '? 

Bru.  If  you  did,  I  care  not. 

Cos.  When  Caesar  lived,  he  durst  not  thus  have  moved  me. 

Bru.  Peace,  peace !  you  durst  not  so  have  tempted  him. 

Cas.  I  durst  not!  60 

Bru.  No. 

Cas.  What,  durst  not  tempt  him ! 

Bru.  For  your  life  you  durst  not. 

Cas.  Do  not  presume  too  much  upon  my  love ; 
I  may  do  that  I  shall  be  sorry  for. 

Bru.  You  have  done  that  you  should  be  sorry  for. 
There  is  no  terror,  Cassius,  in  your  threats, 
For  I  am  arm'd  so  strong  in  JiQne§ty_ 
That  they  pass  by  me  as  the  idle  wind, 
Which  I  respect  not.     I  did  send  to  you 
For  certain  sums  of  gold,  which  you  denied  me :  70 

For  I  can  raise  no  money  by  vile  means : 
By  heaven,  I  had  rather  coin  my  heart, 
And  drop  my  blood  for  drachmas,  than  to  wring 


68  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  IV. 

From  the  hard  hands  of  peasants  their  vile  trash 

By  any  indirection :  I  did  send 

To  you  for  gold  to  pay  my  legions, 

Which  you  denied  me:  was  that  done  like  Cassius? 

Should  I  have  answer'd  Caius  Cassius  so? 

When  Marcus  Brutus  grows  so  covetous, 

To  lock  such  rascal  counters  from  his  friends,  80 

Be  ready,  gods,  with  all  your  thunderbolts ; 

Dash  him  to  pieces ! 

Cas.  I  denied  you  not. 

Bru.  You  did. 

Cas.  I  did  not :  he  was  but  a  fool  that  brought 
My  answer  back.    Brutus  hath  rived  my  heart : 
A  friend  should  bear  his  friend's  infirmities, 
But  Brutus  makes  mine  greater  than  they  are. 

Bru.  I  do  not,  till  you  practise  them  on  me. 

Cas.  You  love  me  not. 

Bru.  I  do  not  like  your  faults. 

Cas.  A  friendly  eye  could  never  see  such  faults.  90 

Bru.  A  flatterer's  would  not,  though  they  do  appear 
As  huge  as  high  Olympus. 

Cas.  Come,  Antony,  and  young  Octavius,  come, 
Revenge  yourselves  alone  on  Cassius, 
For  Cassius  is  aweary  of  the  world : 
Hated  by  one  he  loves ;  braved  by  his  brother ; 
Check'd  like  a  bondman ;  all  his  faults  observed, 
Set  in  a  note-book,  learn'd,  and  conn'd  by  rote, 
To  cast  into  my  teeth.     O,  I  could  weep 
.My  spirit  from  mine  eyes !     There  is  my  dagger,  100 

And  here  my  naked  breast ;  within,  a  heart 
Dearer  than  Plutus'  mine,  richer  than  gold : 
If  that  thou  be'st  a  Roman,  take  it  forth; 
I,  that  denied  thee  gold,  will  give  my  heart : 
Strike,  as  thou  didst  at  Caesar;  for,  I  know, 
When  thou  didst  hate  him  worst,  thou  lovedst  him  better 
Than  ever  thou  lovedst  Cassius. 

Bru.  Sheathe  your  dagger : 

Be  angry  when  you  will,  it  shall  have  scope ; 
Do  what  you  will,  dishonour  shall  be  humour. 
O  Cassius,  you  are  yoked  with  a  lamb  1 10 

That  carries  anger  as  the  flint  bears  fire ; 
Who,  much  enforced,  shows  a  hasty  spark, 
And  straight  is  cold  again. 

Cas.  Hath  Cassius  lived 

To  be  but  mirth  and  laughter  to  his  Brutus, 


Scene  3.]  JULIUS  CESAR.  69 

When  grief,  and  blood  ill-temper'd,  vexeth  him? 

Bru.  When  I  spoke  that^  I  wa§  jjll- tempered  too. 

Cos.  Do  you  confess  so  much?     Give  me  your  hand. 

Bru.  And  my  "heart  too. 

Cas.  O  Brutus ! 

Bru.  What's  the  matter? 

Cas.  Have  not  you  love  enough  to  bear  with  me, 
When  that  rash  humour  which  my  mother  gave  me  120 

Makes  me  forgetful? 

Bru.  Yes,  Cassius ;  and,  from  henceforth, 

WThen  you  are  over-earnest  with  your  Brutus, 
He  '11  think  your  mother  chides,  and  leave  you  so. 

Poet.  [  Withiri\  Let  me  go  in  to  see  the  generals ; 
There  is  some  grudge  between  'em,  't  is  not  meet 
They  be  alone. 

LuciL  [  Withiri\  You  shall  not  come  to  them. 

Poet.  [  Within"]  Nothing  but  death  shall  stay  me. 

Enter  Poet,  followed  by  LUCILIUS,  TITINIUS,  and  Lucius. 

Cas.  How  now!  what 's  the  matter? 

Poet.  For  shame,  you  generals !  what  do  you  mean  ?      1 30 
Love,  and  be  friends,  as  two  such  men  should  be ; 
For  I  have  seen  more  years,  I  }m  sure,  than  ye. 

Cas.  Ha,  ha !  how  vilely  doth  this  cynic  rhyme ! 

Bru.  Get  you  hence,  sirrah ;  saucy  fellow,  hence ! 

Cas.  Bear  with  him,  Brutus ;  't  is  his  fashion. 

Bru.  I  '11  know  his  humour,  when  he  knows  his  time : 
What  should  the  wars  do  with  these  jigging  fools? 
Companion,  hence ! 

Cas.  Away,  away,  be  gone !          [Exit  Poet. 

Bru.  Lucilius  and  Titinius,  bid  the  commanders 
Prepare  to  lodge  their  companies  to-night.  140 

Cas.  And  come  yourselves,  and  bring  Messala  with  you 
Immediately  to  us.  {Exeunt  Lucilius  and  Titinius. 

Bru.  Lucius,  a  bowl  of  wine !  [Exit  'Lucius. 

Cas.  I  did  not  think  you  could  have  been  so  angry. 

Bru.  O  Cassius,  I  am  sick  of  many  griefs. 

Cas.  Of  your  philosophy  you  make  no  use, 
If  you  give  place  to  accidental  evils. 

Bru.  No  man  bears  sorrow  better.     Portia  is  dead. 

Cas.  Ha !  Portia ! 

Bru.  She  is  dead. 

Cos.  How  'scaped  I  killing  when  I  cross'd  you  so?         150 
O  insupportable  and  touching  loss ! 
Upon  what  sickness? 


70  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  IV. 

Bru.  Impatient  of  my  absence, 

And  grief  that  ypung  pctayius_. with.  Mark  Antony 
Have  made  themselves  so  strong: — for  with  her  death 
That  ticGngs  came ; — with  this  she  fell  distract, 
And,  her  attendants  absent,  swallowed  fire. 

Cos.  And  died  so? 

Bru  Even  so. 

Cos.  O  ye  immortal  gods ! 

Re-enter  Lucius,  with  wine  and  taper. 

Bru.  Speak  no  more  of  her.     Give  me  a  bowl  of  wine. 
In  this  I  bury  all  unkindness,  Cassius. 

Cas.  My  heart  is  thirsty  for  that  noble  pledge.  160 

Fill,  Lucius,  till  the  wine  o'erswell  the  cup ; 
I  cannot  drink  too  much  of  Brutus'  love. 

Bru.  Come  in,  Titinius !  \Exit  Lucius. 

Re-enter  TITINIUS,  with  MESSALA. 

Welcome,  good  Messala. , 
Now  sit  we  close  about  this  taper  here, 
And  call  in  question  our  necessities. 

Cas.  Portia,  art  thou  gone? 

Bru.  No  more,  I  pray  you. 

Messala,  I  have  here  received  letters, 
That  young  Octavius  and  Mark  Antony 
Come  down  upon  us  with  a  mighty  power, 
Bending  their  expedition  toward  Philippi.  170 

Mes.  Myself  have  letters  of  the  selfsame  tenour. 

Bru.  With  what  addition? 

Mes.  That  by  proscription  and  bills  of  outlawry, 
Octavius,  Antony,  and  Lepidus, 
Have  put  to  death  an  hundred  senators. 

Bru.  Therein  our  letters  do  not  well  agree ; 
Mine  speak  of  seventy  senators  that  died 
By  their  proscription,  Cicero  being  one. 

Cas.  Cicero  one ! 

Mes.  Cicero  is  dead, 

And  by  that  order  of  proscription.  180 

Had  you  your  letters  from  your  wife,  my  lord? 

Bru.  No,  Messala. 

Mes.  Nor  nothing  in  your  letters  writ  of  her? 

Bru.  Nothing,  Messala. 

Mes.  That,  methinks,  is  strange. 

Bru.  Why  ask  you?  hear  you  aught  of  her  in  yours? 

Mes.  No,  my  lord. 


Scenes-]  JULIUS  C^SAR.  71 

Bru.  Now,  as  you  are  a  Roman,  tell  me  true. 

Mes.  Then  like  a  Roman  bear  the  truth  I  tell  : 
For  certain  she  is  dead,  and  by  strange  manner. 

Bru.  Why,  farewell,  Portia.     We  must  die,  Messala:    190 
With  meditating  that  she  must  die  once, 
I  have  the  patience  to  endure  it  now. 

Mes.  Even  so  great  men  great  losses  should  endure. 

Cos.  I  have  as  much  of  this  in  art  as  you, 
But  yet  my  nature  could  not  bear  it  so. 

Bru.  Well,  to  our  work  alive.     What  do  you  think 
Of  marching  to  Philippi  presently? 

Cos.  I  do  not  think  it  good. 

Bru.  Your  reason  ? 

Cos.  This  it  is : 

'TJaJretter  that  the  enemy  seek  us : 

So  shall  he  wa>u-  his  means,  weary  his  soldiers,  200 

Doing  himself  offence  ;  whilst  we,  lying  still, 
Are  full  of  rest,  defence,  and  nimbleness. 

Bru.  Good  reasons  must,  of  force,  give  place  to  better. 
The  people  'twixt  Philippi  and  this  ground 
Do  stand  but  in  a  forced  affection ;  ^  mJltM' 

For  they  have  grudged  us  contribution : 
The  enemy,  marching  along  by  them,  N^> 

By  them  shall  make  a  fuller  number  up, 
Come  on  refreshed,  new-added,  and  encouraged ; 
From  which  advantage  shall  we  cut  him  off,  210 

If  at  Philippi  we  do  face  him  there, 
These  people  at  our  back. 

Cos.  Hear  me,  good  brother. 

Bru.  Under  your  pardon.     You  must  note  beside, 
That  we  have  tried  the  utmost  of  our  friends, 
Our  legions  are  brim-full,  our  cause  is  ripe : 
The  enemy  increaseth  every  day ; 
We,  at  the  height,  are  ready  to  decline. 
There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune ; 
Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life  220 

Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries. 
On  such  a  full  sea  are  we  now  afloat ; 
And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 
Or  lose  our  ventures. 

Cas.  Then,  with  your  will,  go  on ; 

We  '11  along  ourselves,  and  meet  them  at  Philippi. 

Bru.  The  deep  of  night  is  crept  upon  our  talk, 
And  nature  must  obey  necessity ; 


72  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  IV. 

Which  we  will  niggafd  with  a  little  rest. 
There  is  no  more  to  say? 

Cas.  No  more.     Good  night : 

Early  to-morrow  will  we  rise,  and  hence.  230 

Bru.  Lucius !    [Enter  Lucius.]    My  gown.    [Exit  Lucius.] 

Farewell,  good  Messala: 
Good  night,  Titinius.     Noble,  noble  Cassius, 
Good  night,  and  good  repose. 

Cos.  O  my  dear  brother ! 

This  was  an  ill  beginning  of  the  night : 
Never  come  such  division  'tween  our  souls ! 
Let  it  not,  Brutus. 

Bru.  Every  thing  is  well. 

Cas.  Good  night,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Good  night,  good  brother. 

Tit.  Mes.  Good  night,  Lord  Brutus. 

Bru.  Farewell,  every  one. 

[Exeunt  all  but  Brutus. 

Re-enter  Lucius,  with  the  gown. 

Give  me  the  gown.    Where  is  thy  instrument? 

Luc.  Here  in  the  tent. 

Bru.  What,  thou  speak'st  drowsily? 

Poor  knave,  I  blame  thee  not ;  thou  art  o'erwatch'd.          241 
Call  Claudius  and  some  other  of  my  men ; 
I  '11  have  them  sleep  on  cushions  in  my  tent. 

Luc.  Varro  and  Claudius ! 

Enter  VARRO  and  CLAUDIUS. 

Var.  Calls  my  lord? 

Bru.  I  pray  you,  sirs,  lie  in  my  tent  and  sleep ; 
It  may  be  I  shall  raise  you  by  and  by 
On  business  to  my  brother  Cassius. 

Var.  So  please  you,  we  will  stand  and  watch  your  pleasure. 

Bru.  I  will  not  have  it  so:  lie  down,  good  sirs;  250 

It  may  be  I  shall  otherwise  bethink  me. 
Look,  Lucius,  here 's  the  book  I  sought  for  so ; 
I  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  my  gown. 

[  Var.  and  Clau.  lie  down. 

Luc.  I  was  sure  your  lordship  did  not  give  it  me. 

Bru.  Bear  with  me,  good  boy,  I  am  much  forgetful. 
Canst  thou  hold  up  thy  heavy  eyes  awhile, 
And  touch  thy  instrument  a  strain  or  two? 

Luc.  Ay,  my  lord,  an 't  please  you. 


Scenes-]  JULIUS  CESAR.  73 

Bru.  It  does,  my  boy; 

I  trouble  thee  too  much,  but  thou  art  willing. 

Luc.  It  is  my  duty,  sir.  260 

Bru.  I  should  not  urge  thy  duty  past  thy  might ; 
I  know  young  bloods  look  for  a  time  of  rest. 

Luc.  I  have  slept,  my  lord,  already. 

Bru.  It  was  well  done ;  and  thou  shalt  sleep  again ; 
I  will  not  hold  thee  long :  if  I  do  live, 

I  will  be  good  to  thee.  [Music,  and  a  song. 

This  is  a  sleepy  tune.     O  murderous  slumber, 
La/st  thou  thy  leaden  mace  upon  my  boy, 
That  plays  thee  music?    Gentle  knave,  good  night; 
I  will  not  do  thee  so  much  wrong  to  wake  thee :  270 

If  thou  dost  nod,  thou  break'st  thy  instrument ; 
I  '11  take  it  from  thee ;  and,  good  boy,  good  night. 
Let  me  see,  let  me  see ;  is  not  the  leaf  turn'd  down 
Where  I  left  reading?    Here  it  is,  I  think. 

Enter  the  Ghost  of  CAESAR. 

How  ill  this  taper  burns !     Ha !  who  comes  here? 

I  think  it  is  the  weakness  of  mine  eyes 

That  shapes  this  monstrous  apparition. 

It  comes  upon  me.     Art  thou  any  thing? 

Art  thou  some  god,  some  angel,  or  some  devil, 

That  makest  my  blood  cold  and  my  hair  to  stare?  280 

Speak  to  me  what  thou  art. 

Ghost.  XtDLevil^spiritj,  Brutus. 

Bru.  Why  comest  thou  ? 

Ghost.  To  tell  thee  thou  shalt  see  me  at  Philippi. 

Bru.  Well;  then  I  shall  see  thee  again? 

Ghost.  Ay,  at  Philippi. 

Bru.  Why,  I  will  see  thee  at  Philippi,  then.     [Exit  Ghost. 
Now  I  have  taken  heart  thou  vanishest : 
111  spirit,  I  would  hold  more  talk  with  thee. 
Boy,  Lucius !     Varro !     Claudius !     Sirs,  awake !  290 

Claudius ! 

Luc.  The  strings,  my  lord,  are  false. 

Bru.  He  thinks  he  still  is  at  his  instrument. 
Lucius,  awake ! 

Luc.  My  lord? 

Bru.  Didst  thou  dream,  Lucius,  that  thou  so  criedst  out? 

Luc.  My  lord,  I  do  not  know  that  I  did  cry. 

Bru.  Yes,  that  thou  didst:  didst  thou  see  any  thing? 

Luc.  Nothing,  my  lord. 


74  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  V, 

Bru.  Sleep  again,  Lucius.    Sirrah  Claudius!    [To  Var.] 
Fellow  thou,  awake !  301 

Var.  My  lord? 

Clau.  My  lord? 

Bru.  Why  did  you  so  cry  out,  sirs,  in  your  sleep? 

Var.  Clau.  Did  we,  my  lord? 

Bru.  Ay:  saw  you  any  thing? 

Var.  No,  my  lord,  I  saw  nothing. 

Clau.  Nor  I,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Go  and  commend  me  to  my  brother  Cassius ; 
Bid  him  set  on  his  powers  betimes  before,  308 

And  we  will  follow. 

Var.  Clau.  It  shall  be  done,  my  lord.          [Exeunt. 


ACT  V. 

SCENE  I.     The  plains  of  Philippi. 
Enter  OCTAVIUS,  ANTONY,  and  their  Army. 

Oct.  Now,  Antony,  our  hopes  are  answered : 
You  said  the  enemy  would  not  come  down, 
But  keep  the  hills  and  upper  regions ; 
It  proves  not  so :  their  battles  are  at  hand ; 
They  mean  to  warn  us  at  Philippi  here, 
Answering  before  we  do  demand  of  them. 

Ant.  Tut,  I  am  in  their  bosoms,  and  I  know 
Wherefore  they  do  it :  they  could  be  content 
To  visit  other  places ;  and  come  down 

With  fearful  bravery,  thinking  by  this  face  10 

To  fasten  in  our  thoughts  that  they  have  courage ; 
But 't  is  not  so. 

Enter  a  Messenger. 

Mess.  Prepare  you,  generals : 

The  enemy  comes  on  in  gallant  show ; 
Their  bloody  sign  of  battle  is  hung  out, 
And  something  to  be  done  immediately. 

Ant.  Octavius,  lead  your  battle  softly  on, 
Upon  the  left  hand  of  the  even  field. 

Oct.  Upon  the  right  hand  I ;  keep  thou  the  left. 

Ant.  Why  do  you  cross  me  in  this  exigent?  19 

Oct.  I  do  not  cross  you ;  but  I  will  do  so.  [March. 


Scene  i.]  JULIUS  C^SAR.  75 

Drum.  Enter  BRUTUS,  CASSIUS,  and  their  krmy ;  LUCILIUS, 
TITINIUS,  MESSALA,  and  others. 

Bru.  They  stand,  and  would  have  parley. 

Cos.  Stand  fast,  Titinius :  we  must  out  and  talk. 

Oct.  Mark  Antony,  shall  we  give  sign  of  battle?       £ 

Ant.  No,  Caesar,  we  will  answer  on  their  charge.      i 
Make  forth ;  Ihe  generals  would  have  some  words. 

Oct.  Stir  not  until  the  signal. 

Bru.  Wo^J^fflifc^blQWSL ^jsitjo^  countrymen ? 

Oct.  NbTtnat  we  love  words  better,  as  yTJU  du.  •  •• 

Bru.  Good  words  are  better  thanjbad  strokes,  Qctavius. 

Ant.   In  your  bad  strokes,  Brutus,  you  give  good  words  : 
Witness  the  hole  you  made  in  Caesar's  heart,  31 

Crying  '  Long  live !  hail,  Caesar  !' 

Cos.  Antony, 

The  posture  of  your  blows  are  yet  unknown ; 
But  lor  your  words,  they  rob  the  Hybla  bees, 
And  leave  them  honeyless. 

Ant.  Not  sting  less  too? 

Bru.  O,  yes,  and  soundless  too ; 
For  you  have  stol'n  their  buzzing,  Antony, 
And  very  wisely  threat  before  you  sting. 

Ant.  Villains,  you  did  not  so,  when  your  vile  daggers 
Hack'd  one  another  in  the  sides  of  Caesar :  40 

You  show'd  your  teeth  like  apes,  and  fawn'd  like  hounds, 
And  bow*d  like  bondmen,  kissing  Caesar's  feet ; 
Whilst  damned  Casca,  like  a  cur,  behind 
Struck  Caesar  on  the  neck.     O  you  flatterers ! 

Cos.  Flatterers !     Now,  Brutus,  thank  yourself: 
This  tongue  had  not  offended  so  to-day, 
If  Cassius  might  have  ruled. 

Oct.  Come,  come,  the  cause :  if  arguing  make  us  sweat, 
The  proof  of  it  will  turn  to  redder  drops. 
Look ;  50 

I  draw  a  sword  against  conspirators ; 
When  think  you  that  the  sword  goes  up  again? 
Never,  till  Caesar's  three  and  thirty  wounds 
Be  well  avenged ;  or  till  another  Caesar 
Have  added  slaughter  to  the  sword  of  traitors. 

Bru.  Caesar,  thou  canst  not  die  by  traitors'  hands, 
Unless  thou  bring'st  them  with  thee. 

Oct.  So  I  hope ; 

I  was  not  born  to  die  on  Brutus'  sword. 
Bru.  O,  if  thou  wert  the  noblest  of  thy  strain, 


76  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  V. 

Young  man,  thou  couldst  not  die  more  honourable.  60 

Cas.  A  peevish  schoolboy,,  worthless  of  such  honour, 
Join'd  with  a  masker  and  a  reveller ! 

Ant.  Old  Cassius  still ! 

Oct.  Come,  Antony,  away ! 

Defiance,  traitors,  hurl  we  in  your  teeth : 
If  you  dare  fight  to-day,  come  to  the  field ; 
If  not,  when  you  have  stomachs. 

[Exeunt  Octavius,  Antony,  and  their  army. 

Cas.  Why,  now,  blow  wind,  swell  billow  and  swim  bark ! 
The  storm  is  up,  and  all  is  on  the  hazard. 

Bru.  Ho,  Lucilius !  hark,  a  word  with  you. 

LuciL  [Standing fortti\  My  lord? 

[Brutus  and  Lucilius  converse  apart. 

Cas.  Messala! 

Mes.  {Standing  fortK\  What  says  my  general?  70 

Cos.  Messala, 

This  is  my  birth-day ;  as  this  very  day 
Was  Cassius  born.     Give  me  thy  hand,  Messala : 
Be  thou  my  witness  that  against  my  will, 
As  Pompey  was,  am  I  compell'd  to  set 
Upon  one  battle  all  our  liberties. 
You  know  that  I  held  Epicurus  strong 
And  his  opinion :  now  I  change  my  mind, 
And  partly  credit  things  that  do  presage. 
Coming  from  Sardis,  on  our  former  ensign  80 

Two  mighty  eagles  fell,  and  there  they  perch'd, 
Gorging  and  feeding  from  our  soldiers'  hands ; 
Who  to  Philippi  here  consorted  us : 
This  morning  are  they  fled  away  and  gone ; 
And  in  their  steads  do  ravens,  crows  and  kites, 
Fly  o'er  our  heads  and  downward  look  on  us, 
As  we  were  sickly  prey :  their  shadows  seem 
A  canopy  most  fatal,  under  which 
Our  army  lies,  ready  to  give  up  the  ghost 

Mes.  Believe  not  so. 

Cas.  I  but  believe  it  partly ;  90 

For  I  am  fresh  of  spirit  and  resolved 
To  meet  all  perils  very  constantly. 

Bru.  Even  so,  Lucilius. 

Cas.  Now,  most  noble  Brutus, 

The  gods  to-day  stand  friendly,  that  we  may, 
Lovers  in  peace,  lead  on  our  days  to  age ! 
But  since  the  affairs  of  men  rest  still  incertain, 
Let 's  reason  with  the  worst  that  may  befall. 


Scene  2.]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  77 

If  we  do  lose  this  battle,  then  is  this 

The  very  last  time  we  shall  speak  together : 

What  are  you  then  determined  to  do?  loo 

Bru.  Even  by  the  rule  of  that  philosophy 
By  which  I  did  blame  Cato  for  the  death 
Which  he  did  give  himself,  I  know  not  how, 
But  I  do  find  it  cowardly  and  vile, 
For  fear  of  what  might  fall,  so  to  prevent 
The  time  of  life :  arming  myself  with  patience 
To  stay  the  providence  of  some  high  powers 
That  govern  us  below. 

Cos.  Then,  if  we  lose  this  battle, 

You  are  contented  to  be  led  in  triumph 
Through  the  streets  of  Rome?  1 10 

Bru.  No,  Cassius,  no :  think  not,  thou  noble  Roman, 
That  ever  Brutus  will  go  bound  to  Rome; 
He  bears  too  great  a  mind.     But  this  same  day 
Must  end  that  work  the  ides  of  March  begun ; 
And  whether  we  shall  meet  again  I  know  not. 
Therefore  our  everlasting  farewell  take : 
For  ever,  and  for  ever,  farewell,  Cassius ! 
If  we  do  meet  again,  why,  we  shall  smile ; 
If  not,  why  then,  this  parting  was  well  made. 

Cos.  For  ever,  and  for  ever,  farewell,  Brutus !  120 

If  we  do  meet  again,  we  '11  smile  indeed ; 
If  not,  Jt  is  true  this  parting  was  well  made. 

Bru.  Why,  thep,  lead  on.     O,  that  a  man  might  know 
The  end  of  this  day's  business  ere  it  come ! 
But  it  sufficeth  that  the  day  will  end, 
And  then  the  end  is  known.     Come,  ho !  away !        {Exeunt. 

SCENE  II.     The  same.     The  field  of  battle. 
Alarum.    Enter  BRUTUS  and  MESS  ALA. 

Bru.  Ride,  ride,  Messala,  ride,  and  give  these  bills 
Unto  the  legions  on  the  other  side.  {Loud  alarum. 

Let  them  set  on  at  once ;  for  I  perceive 
But  cold  demeanour  in  Octavius5  wing, 
And  sudden  push  gives  them  the  overthrow. 
Ride,  ride,  Messala :  let  them  all  come  down.  {Exeunt. 

SCENE  III.     Another  part  of  the  field. 
Alarums.    Enter  CASSIUS  and  TiTlNlUS. 

Cos.  O,  look,  Titinius,  look,  the  villains  fly ! 
Myself  have  to  mine  own  turn'd  enemy : 


78  JUI/US  CESAR.  [Act  V. 

This  ensign  here  of  mine  was  turning  back ; 
I  slew  the  coward,  and  did  take  it  from  him. 

Tit.  O  Cassius,  Brutus  gave  the  word  too  early ; 
Who,  having  some  advantage  on  Octavius, 
Took  it  too  eagerly :  his  soldiers  fell  to  spoil, 
Whilst  we  by  Antony  are  all  enclosed. 

Enter  PiNDARUS. 

Pin.  Fly  further  off,  my  lord,  fly  further  off; 
Mark  Antony  is  in  your  tents,  my  lord :  10 

Fly,  therefore,  noble  Cassius,  fly  far  off. 

Cas.  This  hill  is  far  enough.     Look,  look,  Titinius; 
Are  those  my  tents  where  I  perceive  the  fire? 

Til.  They  are,  my  lord. 

Cas.  Titinius,  if  thou  lovest  me, 

Mount  thou  my  horse,  and  hide  thy  spurs  in  him, 
Till  he  have  brought  thee  up  to  yonder  troops, 
And  here  again ;  that  I  may  rest  assured 
Whether  yond  troops  are  friend  or  enemy. 

Tit.  I  will  be  here  again,  even  with  a  thought.  [Exit. 

Cas.  Go,  Pindarus,  get  higher  on  that  hill ;  20 

My  sight  was  ever  thick ;  regard  Titinius, 
And  tell  me  what  thou  notest  about  the  field. 

[Pindarus  ascends  the  hill. 
This  day  I  breathed  first :  time  is  come  round, 
And  where  I  did  begin,  there  shall  I  end ; 
My  life  is  run  his  compass.     Sirrah,  what  news? 

Pin.  [Above]  O  my  lord! 

Cas.  What  news? 

Pin.  [Above]  Titinius  is  enclosed  round  about 
With  horsemen,  that  make  to  him  on  the  spur ; 
Yet  he  spurs  on.     Now  they  are  almost  on  him.  30 

Now,  Titinius !     Now  some  light.     O,  he  lights  too. 

He 's  ta'en.  [Shout]  And,  hark !  they  shout  for  joy. 

Cas.  Come  down,  behold  no  more. 
O,  coward  that  I  am,  to  live  so  long, 
~~  •  see  my  best  friend  ta'en  before  my  face ! 

PINDARUS  descends. 
Come  hither,  sirrah : 
In  Parthia  did  I  take  thee  prisoner; 
And  then  I  swore  thee,  saving  of  thy  life, 
That  whatsoever  I  did  bid  thee  do, 

Thou  shouldst  attempt  it.     Come  now,  keep  thine  oath ;     40 
Now  be  a  freeman :  and  with  this  good  sword, 


Scene  3.]  JULIUS  C^S^^LlFOR^^     79 

That  ran  through  Caesar's  bowels,  search  this  bosom. 

Stand  not  to  answer :  here,  take  thou  the  hilts ; 

And,  when  my  face  is  cover'd,  as  't  is  now, 

Guide  thou  the  sword.     [Pindarus  stabs  himl\    Caesar,  thou 

art  revenged, 
Even  with  the  sword  that  kilFd  thee.  [Dies. 

Pin.  So,  I  am  free ;  yet  would  not  so  have  been, 
Durst  I  have  done  my  will.     O  Cassius, 
Far  from  this  country  Pindarus  shall  run,  49 

Where  never  Roman  shall  take  note  of  him.  [Exit. 

Re-enter  TITINIUS  with  MESSALA. 

Mes.  It  is  but  change,  Titinius ;  for  Octavius 
Is  overthrown  by  noble  Brutus'  power, 
As  Cassius'  legions  are  by  Antony. 

Tit.  These  tidings  will  well  comfort  Cassius. 

Mes.  Where  did  you  leave  him? 

Tit.  All  disconsolate, 

With  Pindarus  his  bondman,  on  this  hill. 

Mes.  Is  not  that  he  that  lies  upon  the  ground? 

Tit.  He  lies  not  like  the  living.     O  my  heart ! 

Mes.  Is  not  that  he? 

Tit.  No,  this  was  he,  Messala, 

But  Cassius  is  no  more.     O  setting  sun,  60 

As  in  thy  red  rays  thou  dost  sink  to  night, 
So  in  his  red  blood  Cassius'  day  is  set ; 
The  sun  of  Rome  is  set !     Our  day  is  gone ; 
Clouds,  dews,  and  dangers  come ;  our  deeds  are  done  f 
Mistrust  of  my  success  hath  done  this  deed. 

Mes.  Mistrust  of  good  success  hath  done  this  deed 
O  hateful  error,  melancholy's  child, 
Why  dost  thou  show  to  the  apt  thoughts  of  men 
The  things  that  are  not?    O  error,  soon  conceived, 
Thou  never  comest  unto  a  happy  birth,  70 

But  kill'st  the  mother  that  engender'd  thee ! 

Tit.  What,  Pindarus !  where  art  thou,  Pindarus? 

Mes.  Seek  him,  Titinius,  whilst  I  go  to  meet 
The  noble  Brutus,  thrusting  this  report 
Into  his  ears ;  I  may  say,  thrusting  it ; 
For  piercing  steel  and  darts  envenomed 
Shall  be  as  welcome  to  the  ears  of  Brutus 
As  tidings  of  this  sight. 

Tit.  Hie  you,  Messala, 

And  I  will  seek  for  Pindarus  the  while.  [Exit  Messala. 

Why  didst  thou  send  me  forth,  brave  Cassius?  80 


8o  JULIUS  C^SAR.  [Act  V. 

Did  I  not  meet  thy  friends?  and  did  not  they 
Put  on  my  brows  this  wreath  of  victory, 
And  bid  me  give  it  thee  ?    Didst  thou  not  hear  their  shouts  ? 
Alas,  thou  hast  misconstrued  every  thing ! 
But,  hold  thee,  take  this  garland  on  thy  brow; 
Thy  Brutus  bid  me  give  it  thee,  and  I 
Will  do  his  bidding.     Brutus,  come  apace, 
And  see  how  I  regarded  Caius  Cassius. 
By  your  leave,  gods : — this  is  a  Roman's  part : 
Come,  Cassius'  sword,  and  find  Titinius'  heart.  90 

\  .  [Kills  himself. 

Alarum.    Re-enter  MESSALA,  with  BRUTUS,  young  CATO, 
STRATO,  VOLUMNIUS,  and  LUCILIUS. 

Bru.  Where,  where,  Messala,  doth  his  body  lie? 

Mes.  Lo,  yonder,  and  Titinius  mourning  it. 

Bru.  Titinius'  face  is  upward. 
»<^/0.  He  is  slain. 

***Bru.  O  Julius  Caesar,  thou  art  mighty  yet ! 
J  Thy  spirit  walks  abroad,  and  turns  our  swords 
Ljn  our  own  proper  entrails.  [Low  alarums. 

Cato.  Brave  Titinius ! 

Look,  whether  he  have  not  crown'd  dead  Cassius ! 

Bru.  Are  yet  two  Romans  living  such  as  these? 
The  last  of  all  the  Romans,  fare  thee  well ! 
It  is  impossible  that  ever  Rome  100 

Should  breed  thy  fellow.     Friends,  I  owe  moe  tears 
To  this  dead  man  than  you  shall  see  me  pay. 
I  shall  find  time,  Cassius,  I  shall  find  time. 
Come,  therefore,  and  to  Thasos  send  his  body : 
His  funerals  shall  not  be  in  our  camp, 
Lest  it  discomfort  us.     Lucilius,  come ; 
And  come,  young  Cato ;  let  us  to  the  field. 
Labeo  and  Flavius,  set  our  battles  on : 

'T  is  three  o'clock ;  and,  Romans,  yet  ere  night  ,    109 

We  shall  try  fortune  in  a  second  fight.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE  IV.    Another  part  of  the  field. 

Alarum.    Enter  fighting.     Soldiers  of  both  armies;  then 
BRUTUS,  young  CATO,  LUCILIUS,  and  others. 

Bru.  Yet,  countrymen,  O,  yet  hold  up  your  heads ! 

Cato.    What  bastard  doth  not  ?    Who  will  go  with  me? 
I  will  proclaim  my  name  about  the  field; 
I  am  the  son  of  Marcus  Cato,  ho ! 


Scenes-]  JULIUS   C^SAR.  Si 

A  foe  to  tyrants,  and  my  country's  friend ; 
I  am  the  son  of  Marcus  Cato,  ho ; 

Bru.  And  I  am  Brutus,  Marcus  Brutus,  I ; 
Brutus,  my  country's  friend  ;  know  me  for  Brutus !        [Exit. 

Lucil.  O  young  and  noble  Cato,  art  thou  down? 
Why,  now  thou  diest  as  bravely  as  Titinius ;  10 

And  mayst  be  honour'd,  being  Cato's  son. 

First  Sold.    Yield,  or  thou  diest. 

Lucil.  Only  I  yield  to  die: 

There  is  so  much  that  thou  wilt  kill  me  straight; 

[Offering  money. 
Kill  Brutus,  and  be  honour'd  in  his  death. 

First  Sold.  We  must  not.     A  noble  prisoner ! 

Sec.  Sold'.  Room,  ho !    Tell  Antony,  Brutus  is  ta'en. 

First  Sold.     I  '11  tell  the  news.     Here  comes  the  general. 

Enter  ANTONY. 

Brutus  is  ta'en,  Brutus  is  ta'en,  my  lord. 

Ant.  Where  is  he? 

Lucil.  Safe,  Antony ;  Brutus  is  safe  enough :  20 

I  dare  assure  thee  that  no  enemy 
Shall  ever  take  alive  the  noble  Brutus : 
The  gods  defend  him  from  so  great  a  shame ! 
When  you  do  find  him,  or  alive  or  dead, 
He  will  be  found  like  Brutus,  like  himself. 

Ant.  This  is  not  Brutus,  friend ;  but,  I  assure  you, 
A  prize  no  less  in  worth :  keep  this  man  safe ; 
Give  him  all  kindness :  I  had  rather  have 
Such  men  my  friends  than  enemies.     Go  on, 
And  see  whether  Brutus  be  alive  or  dead ;  30 

And  bring  us  word  unto  Octavius'  tent 
How  every  thing  is  chanced.  [Exeunt. 

SCENE  V.    Another  part  of  the  field. 
Enter  BRUTUS,  DARDANIUS,  CLITUS,  STRATO,  and 

VOLUMNIUS. 

Bru.  Come,  poor  remains  of  friends,  rest  on  this  rock. 

Cli.  Statilius  show'd  the  torch-light,  but,  my  lord, 
He  came  not  back :  he  is  or  ta'en  or  slain. 

Bru.  Sit  thee  down,  Clitus :  slaying  is  the  word ; 
It  is  a  deed  in  fashion.     Hark  thee,  Clitus.  [  Whispers. 

Cli.  What,  I,  my  lord?     No,  not  for  all  the  world. 

Bru.  Peace  then !  no  words. 

i831)  F 


82  JULIUS  C^SAR.  [ActV. 

Cli.  I  '11  rather  kill  myself. 

Bru.  Hark  thee,  Dardanius.  [  Whispers. 

Dar.  Shall  I  do  such  a  deed? 

Cli.  O  Dardanius ! 

Dar.  O  Clitus !  10 

Cli.  What  ill  request  did  Brutus  make  to  thee? 

Dar.  To  kill  him,  Clitus.     Look,  he  meditates. 

Cli.  Now  is  that  noble  vessel  full  of  grief, 
That  it  runs  over  even  at  his  eyes. 

Bru.  Come  hither,  good  Volumnius ;  list  a  word. 

Vol.  What  says  my  lord? 

Bru.  Why,  this,  Volumnius : 

The  ghost  of  Caesar  hath  appear'd  to  me 
Two  several  times  by  night ;  at  Sardis  once, 
Vnd,  this  last  night,  here  in  Philippi  fields : 
'.  know  my  hour  is  come. 

W.  """  Not  so,  my  lord.  20 

Bru.  Nay,  I  am  sure  it  is,  Volumnius. 
Thou  seest  the  world,  Volumnius,  how  it  goes ; 
Our  enemies  have  beat  us  to  the  pit :  {Low  alarums. 

It  is  more  worthy  to  leap  in  ourselves, 
Than  tarry  till  they  push  us.     Good  Volumnius, 
Thou  knoVst  that  we  two  went  to  school  together : 
Even  for  that  our  love  of  old,  I  prithee, 
Hold  thou  my  sword-hilts,  whilst  I  run  on  it. 

Vol.  That  Js  not  an  office  for  a  friend,  my  lord. 

[Alarum  still. 

Cli.  Fly,  fly,  my  lord ;  there  is  no  tarrying  here.  30 

Bru.  Farewell  to  you ;  and  you ;  and  you,  Volumnius. 
Strato,  thou  hast  been  all  this  while  asleep ; 
Farewell  to  thee  too,  Strato.     Countrymen, 
My  heart  doth  joy  that  yet  in  all  my  life 
I  found  no  man  but  he  was  true  to  me. 
I  shall  have  glory  by  this  losing  day 
More  than  Octavius  and  Mark  Antony 
By  this  vile  conquest  shall  attain  unto. 
So  fare  you  well  at  once ;  for  Brutus'  tongue 
Hath  almost  ended  his  life's  history :  40 

Night  hangs  upon  my  mine  eyes ;  my  bones  would  rest, 
That  have  but  laboured  to  attain  this  hour. 

[Alarum.     Cry  within,  "  Fly,  fly,  fly !" 

Cli.  Fly,  my  lord,  fly. 

Bru.  Hence !  I  will  follow. 

[Exeunt  Clitus,  Dardanius,  and  Volumnius. 
I  prithee,  Strato,  stay  thou  by  thy  lord : 


Scenes-]  JULIUS  CAESAR.  83 

Thou  art  a  fellow  of  a  good  respect ; 
Thy  life  hath  had  some  smatch  of  honour  in  it : 
Hold  then  my  sword,  and  turn  away  thy  face, 
While  I  do  run  upon  it.     Wilt  thou,  Strato? 

Stra.  Give  me  your  hand  first.     Fare  you  well,  my  lord. 

Bru.  Farewell,  good  Strato.    [Runs  on  his  sword.  \  Caesar, 

now  be  still :  5° 

I  kill'd  not  thee  with  half  so  good  a  will.  [Dies. 

Alarum.     Retreat.     Enter  OCTAVIUS,  ANTONY,  MESSALA, 
LUCILIUS,  and  the  army. 

Oct.  What  man  is  that? 

Mes.  My  master's  man.     Strato,  where  is  thy  master? 

Stra.  Free  from  the  bondage  you  are  in,  Messala : 
The  conquerors  can  but  make  a  fire  of  him ; 
For  Brutus  only  overcame  himself, 
And  no  man  else  hath  honour  by  his  death. 

Lucil.  So  Brutus  should  be  found.     I  thank  thee,  Brutus, 
That  thou  hast  proved  Lucilius'  saying  true. 

Oct.  All  that  served  Brutus,  I  will  entertain  them.  60 

Fellow,  wilt  thou  bestow  thy  time  with  me? 

Stra.  Ay,  if  Messala  will  prefer  me  to  you. 

Oct.  Do  so,  good  Messala. 

Mes.  How  died  my  master,  Strato? 

Stra.  I  held  the  sword,  and  he  did  run  on  it. 

Mes.  Octavius,  then  take  him  to  follow  thee, 
That  did  the  latest  service  to  my  master. 

Ant.  This  was  the  noblest  Roman  of  them  all: 
All  the  conspirators  save  only  he 

Did  that  they  did  in  envy  of  great  Caesar;  70 

He  only,  in  a  general  honest  thought 
And  common  good  to  all,  made  one  of  them. 
His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 
So  mix'd  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world  "  This  was  a  man  !" 

Oct.  According  to  his  virtue  let  us  use  him, 
With  all  respect  and  rites  of  burial. 
Within  my  tent  his  bones  to-night  shall  lie, 
Most  like  a  soldier,  order'd  honourably. 
So  call  the  field  to  rest ;  and  let 's  away,  80 

To  part  the  glories  of  this  happy  day.  \Exeunt. 


NOTES. 


Act  I.— Scene  I. 

The  play  commences  with  comedy.  The  mob  is  like  all  Shake- 
speare's mobs — much  excited  at  the  prospect  of  a  show,  very  ready 
to  be  quite  sure  that  the  last  speaker  is  the  wisest,  and  very  ready  to 
appreciate  a  joke  however  small,  if  it  is  only  sufficiently  obvious. 
Their  politics  are  entirely  personal,  and  they  all  start  prepared  to 
shout  for  Caesar  because  Caesar  is  giving  them  a  show.  The  tribunes, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  party  politicians,  not  opposed  to  Caesarism, 
but  partisans  of  the  dead  Pompey. 

Caesar  "went  into  Spain  to  make  war  with  the  sons  of  Pompey... 
This  was  the  last  war  that  Caesar  made.  But  the  triumph  that  he 
made  into  Rome  for  the  same  did  as  much  offend  the  Romans,  and 
more,  than  anything  that  ever  he  had  done  before:  because  he  had 
not  overcome  captains  that  were  strangers,  nor  barbarous  kings,  but 
had  destroyed  the  sons  of  the  noblest  man  of  Rome,  whom  fortune 
had  overthrown".  (Norths  Plutarch.} 

This  triumph  took  place  in  October  (B.C.  45);  but  the  feast  of  the 
Lupercalia  was  not  till  some  months  later.  The  action  of  the 
tribunes,  as  here  related,  was  taken  at  the  Lupercalia.  Shakespeare 
has  merely  taken  the  license  of  combining  the  two  events. 

3.  mechanical,  artisans,  mechanics. 

ought  not  walk.  In  Early  English,  the  infinitive  terminated 
in  -en.  As  this  was  dropped  to  became  the  sign  of  the  infinitive, 
but  after  some  auxiliary  verbs,  though  the  inflexional  termination 
was  dropped,  the  to  was  not  always  inserted.  The  license  of  using 
or  not  using  to  is  retained  with  a  few  words  such  as  *  bid ' ;  but  in 
Shakespeare's  time  there  were  many  words  with  which  it  might  be 
used  or  omitted  at  pleasure.  See  Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §§  349,  350. 

4,  5.  sign  Of  your  profession,  tools  employed  or  garments  worn 
in  the  exercise  of  the  particular  trade,  as  in  line  7. 

10.  in  respect  of,  in  comparison  with:  cf.  Much  Ado,  iii.  4.  19, 
"  but  a  night-gown  in  respect  of  yours  ". 

11.  cobbler.     The  second  commoner  never  misses  the  chance  of 
a  pun.     A  cobbler  means  either  a  mender  of  shoes,  or  a  bungler. 

12.  directly:  not  'at  once',  but  *  without  circumlocution'. 


Scene  I.]  NOTES.  85 

18.  be  not  out  with  me.  We  have  the  slang  use  of  the  con- 
verse, *  to  be  in  with  one',  i.e.  on  good  terms.  Cf.  such  phrases  as 
*  to  be  put  out ',  *  to  fall  out '. 

26.  with  awl.  I.  Fol.  withal  I.  But  we  may  safely  assume 
that  the  pun  is  intended. 

28.  recover.     Pope  changed  to  re-cower.     But  when  the  play  on 
words  is  so  obvious,  it  is  of  no  consequence  which  form  of  printing 
is  adopted. 

proper,  goodly;  a  very  common  use,  especially  in  such 
phrases  as  *a  proper  man  of  his  hands'.  Cf.  Hebrews,  xi.  23, 
"  because  they  saw  he  was  a  proper  child  ".  See  Glossary. 

29.  neat's  leather,  calf-skin.     See  Glossary. 

47.  pass  the  streets.  The  omission  of  the  preposition  with 
verbs  of  motion  is  common:  cf.  i.  2.  1 10,  "arrive  the  point  proposed". 
So  we  can  say  *  reach '  or  *  reach  to ',  '  attain '  or  '  attain  to '. 

50.  That,  for  so  that.     This  is  very  frequent  in  Shakespeare. 

her  banks.  In  Latin,  rivers  are  always  masculine,  and  Tiber 
is  *  Father  Tiber';  but  the  Elizabethans  freely  personified  rivers  as 
feminine. 

51.  replication,  echo,  repetition.     See  Glossary. 

54.  cull  out,  pick  out ;  i.e.  '  is  this  a  day  to  choose  for  a  holiday?' 

56.  Pompey's  blood,  Pompey's  sons,  one  of  whom,  Gnaeus, 
had  been  killed  at  Munda.  This  triumph  was  in  consequence  of  that 
victory.  The  triumph  may  have  been,  hi  form,  to  celebrate  the 
defeat  of  the  Lusitanians  only,  as  Mommsen  thinks;  but  in  spirit  and 
effect  it  was  a  triumph  over  Pompey's  sons. 

66.  whether.  Whether,  whither ,  either  are  all  frequently scanned 
as  monosyllables,  the  th  not  being  sounded.  See  Appendix  A,  §  6 
(vii). 

70.  ceremonies,  an  abstract  term  used  for  the  concrete  thing. 
Ceremony  usually  means  an  act;  here  it  means  the  material  decora- 
tion which  is  the  mark  of  the  act ;  as  we  sometimes  have  *  battle ' 
used  for  'army'.  The  first  four  letters  appear  usually  to  be  pro- 
nounced as  in  '  cere-cloth* .  See  Appendix  A,  §  6  (Hi). 

72.  Lupercal.  The  Lupercalia  were  held  on  Feb.  1 5th.  The 
feast  came  down  from  pastoral  times ;  and  the  rites  connected  with 
it  were  supposed  to  have  the  joint  effect  of  purification  and  fertiliza- 
tion. See  also  next  scene,  and  especially  note  on  line  4.  The  dramatist 
has  not  hesitated  to  transfer  the  triumph,  which  took  place  in  Octo- 
ber, to  the  day  of  the  Lupercalia. 

78.  pitch,  a  technical  term  for  the  soaring  of  a  falcon. 


86  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  I. 

Scene  2. 

This  scene  introduces  all  the  principal  characters,  and  gives  the 
key-note  of  their  temperaments.  Caesar  has  the  manner  of  one  who 
takes  for  granted  that  his  orders  will  be  obeyed  and  his  opinion  ac- 
cepted, without  question  or  doubt.  Brutus  is  aloof,  and  mournful, 
his  mind  preyed  upon  by  imaginary  bookish  ideals,  but  apparently 
without  any  notion  that  he  could  have  any  initiative  in  changing  the 
course  of  events,  till  the  idea  is  subtly  suggested  by  Cassius.  Cassius 
himself,  the  prime  conspirator,  shows  all  his  characteristics. 

"  Such  men  as  he  be  never  at  heart's  ease, 
Whiles  they  behold  a  greater  than  themselves." 

Sheer  jealousy  is  his  strongest  motive,  and  mixed  up  with  it  a  cer- 
tain republican  and  patriotic  sentiment.  He  plays  skilfully  upon 
Brutus's  self-esteem — and  Brutus  is  always  the  victim  of  an  adroit 
flatterer.  Casca  belongs  to  the  type  of  man  who  prides  himself  on 
his  bluntness,  but  is  a  child  in  the  hands  of  a  clever  manipulator. 

4.  run  his  course.  "That  day  there  are  diverse  noble  men's 
sonnes,  young  men,  (and  some  of  them  magistrates  themselves  that 
govern  them),  which  run  naked  through  the  city,  striking  in  sport 
them  they  meet  in  their  way  with  leathern  thongs."  (Norttts  Plu- 
tarch.} These  thongs  were  strips  of  the  skins  of  goats  which  the 
Luperci  had  sacrificed ;  and  their  touch  was  supposed  to  remove 
barrenness. 

9.  sterile  curse,  curse  which  makes  sterile ;  the  adjective  which 
usually  signifies  an  effect,  here  signifies  the  cause.  Cf.  As  You  Like  //, 
ii.  7.  132,  "Oppressed  with  two  weak  evils,  age  and  hunger". 

ii.  ceremony,  here  in  its  ordinary  sense.  See  Appendix  A,  §  6  (iii). 

18.  ides  of  March,  the  I5th.  The  Romans  reckoned  by  the 
number  of  days  before  the  Nones,  then  the  Ides,  then  the  Kalends 
of  the  next  month.  The  Kalends  were  the  first  of  the  month,  the 
Nones  and  Ides  respectively  the  yth  and  i$th  of  March,  May,  July, 
and  October,  the  $th  and  I3th  of  other  months. 

29.  quick  spirit,  lively  humour,  or  fondness  for  gaiety. 
Brutus,  lacking  the  quality  himself,  counts  it  a  mark  of  incapacity  in 
anyone  who  has  it.  A  common  blunder  of  very  serious  persons. 

33,  34.  that  gentleness ...  as.  We  use  *  which '  as  relative  to 
'that'  antecedent ;  'as'  relative  to  'such'  antecedent.  These  are 
often  interchanged  in  Shakespeare :  and  we  have  ''that  as"  or  "such 
which".  Cf.  line  174— 

"  Under- these  hard  conditions  as  this  time 
Is  like  to  lay  upon  us"; 

and  i.  3.  116,  "  such  a  man  That  is  no  fleering  tell-tale". 


Scene  2.]  NOTES.  87 

35,  36.  bear ...  a  hand  Over,  hold  in  check,  as  a  rider  (cf.  *  bearing 
rein').  The  sense  would  seem  to  be  much  the  same  as  to  'ride  on 
the  curb*. 

40.  passions,  feelings.     See  Glossary. 

of  some  difference,  i.e.  that  are  contradictory,  opposed  to 
each  other:  the  same  sense  as  "  with  himself  at  war  ",  line  46. 

42.  soil,  blemish,  tarnish. 

behaviours.  Shakespeare  often  uses  a  plural  form  to  imply 
repetition,  or  for  some  like  purpose,  where  we  keep  to  the  singular. 
Thus  behaviours  means  '  behaviour  on  several  occasions ' ;  and  where 
several  people  are  of  the  same  opinion,  he  would  still  write  '  in  their 
opinions'.  Cf.  ii.  I.  148. 

45.  construe  any  further,  find  more  meaning  in. 

48.  mistook.  When  the  past  participle  terminated  in  -en  (as  in 
4  taken',  'broken',  'shaken'),  the  general  tendency  to  drop  inflex- 
ional terminations  often  led  to  the  substitution  of  the  form  of  the  past 
tense  ('took',  'broke',  'shook',  &c.). 

58.  shadow,  reflection. 

59.  Where,  used  loosely  in  many  cases  where  we  should  rather 
expect  to  find  '  when ' . 

Go.  immortal.  Observe  the  irony  of  this  epithet,  in  connection 
with  the  speech,  90-131. 

62.  had  his  eyes.  This  would  seem  to  be  a  grammatical  slip,  as 
fa's,  to  make  the  meaning  consistent,  should  refer  to  the  subject; 
the  point  being  that  Brutus  should  have  eyes  with  which  he  could  see 
himself:  the  construction  being  as  though  Cassius  had  said  'many  a 
one... has  wished'.  But  the  obvious  sense,  'could  see',  may  be  all 
that  is  intended. 

71.  jealous,  doubtful.     So  "  That  you  do  love  me,  I  am  nothing 
jealous"  (line  162). 

on.  '  Of  and  '  on '  are  frequently  interchangeable.  One  may  be 
sent  '  on '  or  '  of '  a  message,  have  hair  '  of '  or  '  on '  one's  face,  &c. 

72.  laugher.     Ff.  laughter.     The  correction  is  Pope's.     If  the 
Folio  reading  is  right,  "laughter"  would  mean  'object  of  laughter', 
as  we  use  '  scorn '  =  '  object  of  scorn '. 

73.  ordinary  oaths,  oaths  of  which  I  make  frequent  use. 

77.  profess  myself:  either  'parade  my  feelings'  or  'make  pro- 
fession of  friendship'  as  in  Winter's  Tale,  i.  2.  456,  "dishonoured 
by  a  man  which  ever  professed  to  him  ". 

86,  87.  '  If  honour  and  death  must  be  looked  upon  together,  I  will 
look  on  them  together  without  trouble  of  mind.' 


88  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  I. 

91.  favour,  personal  appearance.  So  we  still  speak  of  a  person 
being  'well  favoured',  or  'favouring  his  father',  meaning  that  he 
looks  like  him.  See  Glossary. 

95.  lief,  willingly:  see  Glossary.  Also  note  the  play  upon  lief 
and  live,  and  cf.  note  on  line  1 56. 

TOO.  Caesar  is  said  to  have  been  a  great  swimmer.  The  story  of 
his  swimming  for  life,  holding  one  hand  with  documents  in  it  clear 
of  the  water  all  the  time,  is  related  by  Suetonius  and  Plutarch,  and  is 
familiar  from  the  lines  in  Browning's  Pied  Piper  concerning  the  soli- 
tary rat  who, 

"stout  as  Julius  Caesar, 
Swam  across,  and  lived  to  carry 
To  Rat-land  home  his  commentary". 

104.  Upon  the  word.   Cf.  269,  "  taken  him  at  a  word". 

105.  Accoutred,  fully  clad. 

109.  hearts  of  controversy,  t.e.  of  emulation;  like  "passions 
of  difference  ",  line  40. 

no.  arrive  the  point.  Cf.  "pass  the  streets",  I.  47,  and  note 
there. 

112-114.  Anchises,  king  of  Dardanus  on  Mount  Ida,  was  the 
father  of  ^Eneas  by  Venus.  At  the  sack  of  Troy  ^Eneas  bore  his 
father  from  the  burning  town  upon  his  shoulders.  Roman  legend 
regarded  ^Eneas  as  the  progenitor  of  the  Roman  people;  see  Vergil's 
Aeneid,  Book  I. 

115.  Did  I.  The  repetition  of  the  subject  is  really  superfluous, 
and  is  simply  due  to  the  first  part  of  the  sentence  being  forgotten. 

119.  He  had  a  fever.  Plutarch  relates  that  Caesar  was  subject 
to  the  "falling  sickness,  the  which  took  him  the  first  time,  as  it  is  re- 
ported, in  Corduba  a  city  of  Spain  ". 

122.  The  natural  form  would  be  that  the  colour  fled  from  the  lips. 
Cassius  inverts  it,  in  order  to  suggest  the  idea  of  a  coward  deserting 
his  colours.     Cf.  note  on  line  156. 

123.  bend,  look.     '  Bent '  is  used  in  the  same  sense.    Cf.  Antony 
and  Cleopatra,  ii.  2.  213,  "tended  her  i'  the  eyes,  and  made  their 
bends  adornings  ". 

124.  his .     The  genitive  'its '  is  hardly  ever  found  in  Shakespeare : 
and  never  in  the  Bible  (Authorised  Version). 

130,  131.  The  metaphor  is  of  course  from  foot-racing.  For  the 
scansion  of  131  see  Appendix  A,  §  5  (i). 

90-131.  The  bearing  of  this  speech  is  that  Caesar  is  a  mere  mortal, 
and  very  subject  to  the  ills  of  the  flesh :  it  develops  the  angry  irony  of 
"immortal  Caesar"  in  line  60.  Cassius  is  not  arguing  that  Caesar 


Scene  2.]  NOTES.  89 

is  an  incompetent  person,  but  that  he  is  being  treated  as  a  deity  when 
he  is  nothing  of  the  kind,  as  his  infirmity  proves.  Note  phrases  in  the 
speech  which  mark  this  clearly. 

136.  Colossus,  the  famous  Colossus  of  Rhodes ;  a  huge  brazen 
figure  traditionally  declared  to  have  stood  astride  the  entrance  of  the 
harbour  at  Rhodes,  and  to  have  been  of  such  a  size  that  vessels  in 
full  sail  passed  in  and  out  between  the  legs. 

142  foil. — Having  led  up  to  the  position  that  Caesar  is  at  best 
merely  a  man,  Cassius  now  suggests  that  Brutus  is  as  good  a  man ; 
seeking  to  make  Brutus  feel  the  difference  between  them  as  a  personal 
slight.  Having  hinted  the  flattery,  he  does  not  press  it  but  begins  to 
stir  up  the  republican  sentiment  which  he  knows  he  must  persuade 
Brutus  to  regard  as  his  only  real  motive. 

146.  conjure  with  'em,  use  the  names  as  words  of  power  to 
summon  up  spirits. 

152.  the  great  flood.     The  reference  to  the  flood  is  not  out  of 
place  for  a  Roman,  though  it  may  be  doubted  whether  the  specific 
Greek  or  Roman  version  of  the  story  was  in  Shakespeare's  mind. 
The  story  finds  a  place  in  nearly  every  mythology.     In  the  most 
familiar  classical  version,  there  was  a  universal  deluge  from  which 
there  escaped  only  Deucalion  and  his  wife  Pyrrha.     By  advice  of  an 
oracle,  they  then  threw  stones  behind  them  which  were  turned  into 
men  and  women,  whereby  the  world  was  repeopled. 

153.  But  =  except,  unless:  as  we  sometimes  use  'without'.     See 
Glossary.     The  use  was  common  in  Early  English,  but  was  dying 
out  in  Shakespeare's  time. 

156.  Rome  . . .  room.  The  pronunciation  of  the  words  was  almost 
identical.     Shakespeare  did  not  hesitate  to  play  upon  words  in  the 
gravest  passages.    The  locus  classicus  is  in  Gaunt's  speech  in  Richard 
//.  ii.  I.  73— 

"  Oh  how  that  name  befits  my  composition! 
Old  Gaunt  indeed,  and  gaunt  in  being  old  ". 

This  is  the  third  time  in  this  scene  that  Cassius  has  juggled  with 
words  in  this  manner.  Cf.  lines  95  and  122. 

157.  one.     Observe  that  this  was  pronounced  'own'. 

159.  There  was  a  Brutus,  Lucius  Junius  Brutus,  who  expelled 
the  Tarquins :  from  whom  Marcus  Brutus  claimed  descent. 

1 60.  eternal.     Johnson  proposed  to  read  infernal.     Commen- 
tators may  differ  as  to  whether  'eternal'  or  'infernal'  is  the  more 
forcible  epithet — the  text  seems  to  me  preferable.     But  it  is  quite 
possible  that  Shakespeare  wrote  '  infernal ',  and  that  he  or  the  printer 
changed  it  to  avoid  trouble  from  the  act  of  James  I.  "to  restrain 
the  abuses  of  players  "  in  the  use  of  profane  language.    Many  such 
alterations  certainly  were  made.     See  Introduction,  §  I  (2). 


90  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  I. 

160.  to  keep.  The  infinitive  is  the  object  of  brootfd,  as  we  should 
use  it  after  *  suffered ',  *  allowed '.  This  construction  was  more  freely 
used. 

162.  jealous,  doubtful.     Cf.  line  71. 

163.  aim,  guess. 

172,  173.  had  rather  be  ...  Than  to  repute  himself.  Here  we 
have  the  sign  of  the  infinitive  omitted  and  inserted  after  the  same 
verb.  See  i.  I.  3,  note. 

174.  these. ..as.     See  note  on  line  33,  " that  gentleness... as". 

193.  Sleek-headed  men:  suggested  by  Norths  Plutarch  :  "As 
for  those  fat  men  and  smooth-combed  heads  (quoth  he)  I  never 
reckon  of  them ;  but  these  pale-imaged  and  carrion-lean  people,  I 
fear  them  most;  meaning  Brutus  and  Cassius". 

197.  well  given,  well  disposed. 

215.  Casca.  At  the  beginning  of  the  scene  Casca  was  to  the 
front  in  calling  for  silence  for  Caesar.  As  soon  as  he  is  with  Cassius 
he  instinctively  changes  his  tone. 

"Antony... came  to  Caesar  and  presented  him  a  diadem  wreathed 
about  with  laurel.  Whereupon  there  arose  a  cry  of  rejoicing,  not 
very  great,  done  only  by  a  few  appointed  for  the  purpose.  But 
when  Caesar  refused  the  diadem  then  all  the  people  together  made 
an  outcry  of  joy."  (North's  Plutarch.}  According  to  Plutarch  the 
offer  was  made  twice. 

230.  gentler  than  other.  Other  is  often  a  pronoun  as  here,  in 
Shakespeare:  a  use  retained  by  us  in  the  form  *  each  other '  for  '  each 
the  other*.  Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §  12. 

245.  hooted.  Hoot,  shout,  howt,  hoo,  hue  (in  'hue  and  cry')  merely 
represent  an  indefinite  clamour,  and  the  pronunciation  and  spelling 
were  for  a  long  time  equally  indefinite. 

250.  swounded.     Swoon  and  swound  are  used  indifferently. 

256.  falling  sickness,  epilepsy.  The  name  is  used  in  Norttfs 
Plutarch. 

267.  plucked  me  ope.     'Me*  is  dative;  as  in  Taming  of  tht. 
Shrew,  "knock  me  on  this  door". 

doublet.  Shakespeare  writes  as  if  the  Romans  dressed  like 
Elizabethans.  Cf.  "unbraced"  which  occurs  at  i.  3.  48,  and  ii. 
I.  262.  So  points,  i.e.  laces  or  tags  used  in  fastening  the  costume; 
cf.  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  iii.  13.  156,  "mingle  eyes  With  one  that 
ties  his  points  ". 

268.  occupation,  mechanical  trade.      Cf.   Coriolanus,  iv.  I.  14, 
"The  red  pestilence  strike  all  trades  in  Rome,  And  occupations 
perish ! " 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  91 

300.  mettle,  high  spirit.  A  metaphorical  use  of  *  metal';  as 
spelling  came  to  be  more  definitely  settled,  the  one  form  was  used 
for  one  sense,  the  other  for  the  other  sense.  Cf.  *  quean'  and 
*  queen*. 

311.  the  world,  the  condition  of  affairs. 

313.  metal.     Cf.  note  on  line  300.     Here,  the  word  being  con- 
sciously metaphorical,  the  alternative  spelling  is  used. 

314.  From  that  it  is  disposed,  i.e.  from  that  to  which  it  is 
disposed.      The  omission   of  the   relative   is   by   no  means   rare, 
whether  as  subject  or  object.     The  omission  of  the  preposition  is 
analogous  to  that  in  i.  i.  47,  where  see  note. 

317.  bear  me  hard.  The  phrase  occurs  three  times  in  this 
play,  and  also  in  Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  and  Ben  Jonson.  It  has 
much  the  same  force  as  i.  2.  35 — 

"  You  bear  too  stubborn  and  too  strange  a  hand 
Over  your  friend  that  loves  you". 

See  note  there.  But  I  doubt  if  this  is  a  metaphor  from  riding. 
It  certainly  means  'bear  a  grudge  against'  or  'hate'.  In  this 
passage  it  might  mean  that  Caesar  checks  Cassius,  but  that  sense 
does  not  apply  to  the  treatment  of  Caesar  by  Ligarius  (ii.  I.  215), 
and  hardly  to  the  passage  in  Antony's  speech,  iii.  i.  157.  Mr. 
Fleay  suggests,  from  the  use  of  this  phrase,  that  Ben  Jonson  had 
a  hand  in  the  play :  but  see  note  on  iii.  I.  48. 

319.  He,  Caesar:  or  possibly  Cassius  is  sneering  at  Brutus  for 
being  led  so  easily  by  his  own  rhetoric,  in  which  case  *  he '  would 
mean  Brutus.  But  this  does  not  seem  to  agree  with  the  very  strong 
affection  he  obviously  had  for  Brutus.  Yet,  considering  the  careful 
skill  with  which  he  employs  conscious  flattery  to  effect  his  purpose, 
it  is  not  impossible.  Cf.  the  lines  in  the  speech  immediately 
following. 

325,  326.  Closing  the  scene  with  a  rhymed  couplet  is  very  fre- 
quent in  the  earlier  plays:  less  usual  in  the  later  ones.  Other 
instances  in  this  play  are  at  ii.  3,  v.  3,  and  the  close  of  the  play. 
The  practice  may  be  compared  with  that  in  the  Greek  drama  of 
concluding  a  section  with  a  gnome  or  proverb.  But  most  of  kthe 
plays  end  up  with  a  couplet. 

Scene  3. 

A  month  has  elapsed  since  the  conspiracy  was  first  set  on  foot. 

Cicero  is  sententious,  and  wears  an  air  of  philosophic  calm.  He 
was  indeed  prouder  of  his  philosophy  than  of  his  oratory.  In  the 
combination  of  this  with  the  previous  description  of  him,  i.  2.  185-8, 
a  singularly  complete  picture  of  the  man  is  given.  Casca,  as  always, 
allows  the  moment's  mopd  to  control  him,  and  the  mood  itself  is 


. 


92  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  I 

controlled  by  the  immediate  circumstances.  Both  are  in  strong 
contrast  to  Cassius,  to  whom  the  conditions  of  the  moment  are  of 
interest  just  so  far  as  he  sees  his  way  to  making  use  of  them  for  the 
end  he  holds  steadily  and  unceasingly  in  view. 

The  portents  narrated  by  Casca  hardly  vary  from  Plutarch's 
account :  but  the  lion  is  an  addition. 

i.  brought,  attended.  We  commonly  use  bring  and  take  in  the 
two  specific  senses  which  are  both  covered  by  bring  in  Shakespeare, 
who  would  say  *  bring  him  away '. 

3.  sway,  (i)  established  order  (Schmidt);  (2)  weight  or  mo- 
mentum of  the  globe  (Johnson).  The  former  is  probably  right. 

6.  rived.  The  form  of  the  past  participle  in  -ed  or  -en  was  still 
not  fixed  in  many  words.  So  we  have  shakedzs,  well  as  shaken ,  rived 
as  well  as  riven.  Cf.  i.  2.  48,  note. 

ii.  civil  strife  in  heaven,  civil  war  among  the  gods. 

14.  more  wonderful:  either  'saw  you  anything  else  wonderful* 
or  *  anything  more  wonderful  than  you  have  seen  before '. 

15.  These  lines  are  Plutarch  turned  into  poetry.     A  careful  com- 
parison of  the  wording  is  instructive  as  an  example  of  the  essential 
difference  between  poetry  and  prose.     "  There  was  a  slave  of  the 
soldiers  that  did  cast  a  marvellous  burning  flame  out  of  his  hand, 
insomuch  as  they  that  saw  it  thought  he  had  been  burnt ;  but  when 
the  fire  was  out,  it  was  found  he  had  no  hurt". 

21.  glared.  Early  edd.  glazed.  Glared  is  Pope's  emendation. 
Johnson  suggested  gazed.  Shakespeare  may  have  written  glazed, 
meaning  a  glassy  stare,  unlike  the  usual  aspect  of  the  animal.  If 
so,  however,  the  word  was  coined  for  the  occasion. 

26.  the  bird  of  night.  The  owl  has  always  been  regarded  as  an 
uncanny  bird,  both  on  account  of  its  ordinary  habits  and  its  cry. 
For  a  solitary  night-bird  to  appear  in  the  crowded  market-place  in 
broad  day  was  of  course  peculiarly  ominous  because  peculiarly  con- 
trary to  habit. 

31.  portentous  things,  signs  and  warnings. 

32.  climate,  region.     So  in  Richard II.  iv.  I.  130,  "a  Christian 
climate"  =  a  Christian  country. 

35.  Clean  from  the  purpose.  From  in  the  sense,  '  apart  from ', 
without  a  verb  of  motion,  occurs  several  times,  e.g.  ii.  I.  196,  "grown 
quite  from  the  main  opinion  he  held  once". 

39.  sky,    atmosphere.     Cf.   in  Amiens'   song,  As  You  Like  It,  / 
"Freeze,  freeze,  thou  bitter  sky". 

48.  unbraced.     Cf.  i.  2.  267,  "doublet",  and  note. 

49.  thunder-stone.      Cf.    "the  all-dreaded  thunder-stone"  in 
Cymbeline,  iv.   2.   271.      The  lightning  flash  was  supposed  to  be 
accompanied  literally  by  the  fall  of  a  thunderbolt. 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  93 

60.  put  on  fear,  put  on  the  signs  of  fear  as  in  ii.  I.  225,  "Let 
not  our  looks  -jut  on  our  purposes  ". 

cast  yourself  in  wonder,  into  wonder,  as  we  speak  of  *  throw- 
ing '  a  person  into  confusion  or  amazement. 

62-66.  The  construction  in  these  lines  is  quite  lost,  not  without 
a  certain  dramatic  fitness.  It  would  be  made  rather  less  irregular 
by  transposing  64  and  65 ;  but  there  is  no  ground  for  demanding 
the  change,  and  even  then  strict  regularity  would  not  result. 

65.  fool.  Ff.  fools.  The  text  was  Mitford's  conjecture,  as 
*  calculating '  is  scarcely  out  of  the  order  of  nature  for  old  men. 

calculate,  prognosticate  :  properly,  from  calculating  the  horo- 
scope, or  astrological  signs  attending  birth. 

68.  monstrous,  strange  and  ominous;  size  is  not  necessarily 
suggested,  although  in  modern  usage  it  has  come  to  be  the  pro- 
minent sense;  cf.  *  prodigious ',  and  'enormous'.  The  sense  is,  'The 
abnormal  natural  appearances  are  warnings  of  an  abnormal  condi- 
tion of  affairs '. 

70-73.  For  the  scanning  of  these  lines  see  Appendix  A,  §  5  (ii). 

75.  the  lion  in  the  Capitol.     There  were  no  lions  ordinarily  in 
the  Capitol.    But  Casca  had  met  one  there ;  and  as  Shakespeare,  as 
well  as  an  Elizabethan  audience,  probably  thought  of  the  Capitol  as 
a  sort  of  Roman   Tower  of  London  (where  lions  were  habitually 
kept),  the  inaccuracy  presents  no  real  difficulty.     Craik,  however, 
put  a  comma  after  lion,  referring  in  the  Capitol  to  Caesar. 

76.  than  ...  me.     A  very  ordinary  grammatical  error  in  collo- 
quial usage,  arising  no  doubt  from  the  vague  idea  that  than  is  a 
preposition.    But  '  me '  and  '  him '  when  '  I '  and  '  he '  are  demanded 
by  strict  grammar,  and  (less  frequently)  the  converse,  are  not  much 
rarer  in  Shakespeare  than  in  common  conversation. 

77.  prodigious.     The  idea  of  size  may  be  present  here,  though 
secondary ;  as  Cassius  has  already  to  Brutus  spoken  of  Caesar  as  a 
Colossus. 

82.  woe  the  while,  woe  the  time,  i.e.  woe  for  the  time,  as  we 
may  say,  *  alas  the  day '. 

83.  with  instead  of  '  by '  for  agent  or  instrument  is  hardly  rare 
now,  and  was  commoner  still  in  Shakespeare's  day.     Abbott,  §  193. 

84.  sufferance,  patience.  Cf.  Merchant  of  Venice^  i.  3.  in,  "For 
sufferance  is  the  badge  of  all  our  tribe  ". 

87.  shall  wear,  is  to  wear. 

89-115.  If  a  little  bombastic,  this  speech  has  the  ring  of  genuine 
feeling  in  it.  Cassius  is  not  merely  stirred  by  envy.  The  student 
should  note  passages  bringing  out  this  side  of  Cassius'  character. 
In  the  very  next  speech  it  is  envy  that  predominates  again. 


94  JULIUS   CAESAR.  [Act  I. 

93.  The  familiar  lines  "  Stone  walls  do  not  a  prison  make  "  will 
occur  to  the  reader.  Cassius'  point,  however,  is  different — being 
that  a  prisoner  can  end  his  captivity  by  suicide. 

101,  102.  bondman  ...  cancel.  Casca  plays  on  the  two  senses  of 
bond,  the  fetters  of  a  slave,  and  a  binding  legal  document.  The 
same  play  on  the  word  occurs  in  Cymbeline,  v.  4.  27,  where  Post- 
humus  says,  referring  to  his  chains,  "take  this  life,  And  cancel  these 
cold  bonds  ". 

114.  *  I  shall  have  to  answer  for  my  words.' 

115.  indifferent,  of  no  moment;   because  they  can  be  escaped 
by  death.    As  an  Epicurean  (v.  I.  76)  Cassius  counts  suicide  as  a 
mere  question  of  convenience :  to  Brutus,  the  Stoic,  suicide  is  only  a 
last  resort  to  escape  disgrace. 

1 1 6, 117.  such  a  man  That.  See  i.  2.  33,  "that  gentleness... as", 
note. 

118.  factious,  active  in  combination  with  others.  It  does  not 
seem  to  imply  malignant  activity  (as  we  use  the  word)  any  more  than 
'  faction ',  the  general  term  applied  by  Brutus  (ii.  I.  77)  to  his  fellow 
conspirators. 

122.  Some  certain:  either  some  or  certain  is  merely  redundant. 
Cf.  Coriolanus,  ii.  3.  59,  "Some  certain  of  your  brethren". 

124.  consequence:  not  ' importance '  but  *  result ',  the  sense  in 
which  we  generally  write  *  consequences '. 

126.  Pompey's  porch.  The  Theatre  and  Curia  of  Pompey, 
where  Pompey's  statue  stood,  were  in  the  Campus  Martius.  Observe 
that  Shakespeare  transfers  the  statue,  and  the  scene  of  the  murder 
with  it,  to  the  Capitol. 

128.  the  element,  the  air,  like  "sky"  above. 

129.  favour,  aspect ;  as  we  speak  of  'ill-favoured'.     Ff.  have  is 
Favors.     Reed  corrects  is  feverous,  which  is  possible ;  but  the  cor- 
rection in  the  text  (Johnson's)  is  nearer  the  original  reading ;   and 
though  somewhat  pleonastic  is  quite  natural. 

132.  I  do  know  him  by  his  gait.  This  quickness  of  observation 
is  characteristic  of  Cassius,  who  recognized  Casca  by  his  voice. 

133.  where  haste  you.   Probably  *  where  '  (in  what  place)  came 
into  use  for  '  whither  '  (to  what  place)  from  the  pronunciation  of 
«  whither '  being  slurred,  as  with  '  either  '  and  '  whether '. 

135.  incorporate :  =  incorporated,  as  we  speak  of  a  '  bishop  desig- 
nate '.  Cf .  "  their  incorporate  league  ",  Henry  V.  v.  2.  394.  See 
note  on  iv.  3.  155. 


find 
But. 


144.  Where  Brutus  may  but  find  it:  either  (i)  'cannot  but 
id  it ' ;  or  (2)  *  where  only  Brutus  can  find  it '.    See  Glossary  s.  v. 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  95 

146".  old  Brutus,  Lucius  Junius  Brutus,  who  expelled  the  Tar- 
quins;  the  "liberator  of  his  country".  Cf.  i.  2.  159,  note. 

147.  shall  find  us.     'Will'  with  second  and  third  person  implies 
merely  futurity :  shall  suggests  some  sort  of  necessity  or  compulsion. 

148.  Is.     The  singular  verb  with  plural  subject  may  here  be  ex- 
plained; the  verb  is  spoken  while  only  one  subject  (Decius)  is  in  the 
speaker's  mind,  Trebonius  being  added  as  an  afterthought.      But  c£ 
note  on  iii.  2.  29. 

Decius  Brutus.  Shakespeare  followed  North's  translation, 
taken  from  Amyot's  French  translation  of  Plutarch.  Decius  was 
Amyot's  error  for  Decimus.  In  fact,  Decimus  Brutus  was  quite 
as  prominent  and  active  a  member  of  the  conspiracy  as  Marcus 
Brutus :  he  was  in  every  respect  a  no  less  important  person ;  from 
Cicero's  letters,  at  this  period,  it  is  evident  that  he  was  regarded  as 
one  of  the  heads  of  the  whole  movement. 

152.  Pompey's  theatre.  See  note  on  " Pom pey's  porch",  line 
126. 

159.  countenance,  support. 

162.  conceited,  conceived,  judged;  perhaps  with  some  sugges- 
tion of  the  fanciful  expression  or  '  conceit '  Casca  had  used.  Shake- 
speare turned  substantives  into  verbs  whenever  he  found  it  convenient. 
Conceit  as  a  verb  occurs  again  iii.  I.  192,  "one  of  two  bad  ways  you 
must  conceit  me  ".  and  once  in  Othello. 


Act  II. 

The  first  Act  gave  the  preliminary  stages :  the  second  is  the  com- 
pletion of  the  conspiracy. 

Scene  I. 

The  conspirators  hold  their  final  meeting,  all  coming  together  for~^ 
the  first  time.  A  further  revelation  of  the  pathetic  and  trustful  turn  ' 
of  Brutus'  character  is  given ;  as  well  as  of  the  combination  of  his  L 
desire  to  follow  the  course  which  patriotism  sets  before  him,  with  ^ 
his  intellectual  incompetence  for  judging  either  the  men  or  the  cir-  j 
cumstances  with  which  he  has  to  deal.  ^ 

5.  When,  an  exclamation  of  impatience. 

12.  the  general,  the  general  public.  Cf.  Hamlet,  ii.  2.  457, 
"  caviare  to  the  general ". 

14.  brings  forth  the  adder,  i.e.  (as  shown  by  line  33)  hatches  it. 
'  The  coronation  of  Caesar  will  hatch  the  adder,  and  give  Caesar  a 
Sting :  as  the  bright  day  makes  a  dangerous  snake  from  a  harmless 
egg.  Brutus  knows  of  the  Senate's  intention  to  offer  Caesar  a  crown : 


96  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  II. 

and  he  argues  that  though  Caesar  has  hitherto  acted  with  moderation 
and  judgment,  this  may  remove  the  cause  of  his  moderation,  and  so 
the  danger  is  too  great ;  therefore  the  (possible)  adder  must  be  killed 
before  it  is  hatched. 

To  Cassius,  the  practical,  it  is  Caesar's  power  that  is  unendurable : 
to  Brutus,  the  sentimental,  it  is  the  form  or  title  of  royalty.  But  his 
argument  has  a  practical  side,  in  the  fear  tHat  the  form  of  royalty  may 
also  lead  to  Caesar  using  his  power  in  a  different  way,  though  no  new 
powers  would  be  conferred  by  it. 

We  may  compare  the  belief  under  the  Commonwealth  that  Crom- 
well was  anxious  for  the  title  of  king,  and  the  uneasiness  caused 
thereby :  though  similarly  his  coronation  would  not  have  given  him 
larger  powers. 

19.  Remorse,  pity,  mercy,  without    the  modern  idea  of  self- 
reproach.     So  constantly  in  Shakespeare. 

20.  affections,  inclinations,  passions,  i.e.  he  has  not  "disjoined 
remorse  from  power  "  :  a  frequent  Elizabethan  use. 

21.  proof,  experience :  so  frequently. 

28.  prevent,  anticipate,  be  beforehand.  The  first  sense  is  *  pre- 
cede', 'go  before',  as  in  the  collect  " Prevent  us,  O  Lord,  in  all  our 
doings  ". 

28, 29.  the  quarrel  Will  bear,  &c.  *  Since  the  motive  for  quarrel 
with  him  cannot  be  justified  on  the  ground  of  what  he  actually  is, 
state  the  case  in  this  way '.  Quarrel  and  colour  are  common  in  this 
sense. 

30.  Fashion  it,  construct  it,  put  into  shape :  it  being  the  case,  or 
motive,  for  quarrel.  < 

31.  extremities.     We  should  prefer  to  say  *  extremes'. 

40.  ides.  Early  edd.  first.  Either  a  slip  of  Shakespeare's  pen, 
or  of  the  printers,  as  is  proved  by  line  59.  The  slip,  if  Shakespeare's, 
may  have  been  partly  due  to  a  reference  in  Norths  Plutarch  to  ' '  the 
first  of  March". 

44.  exhalations,  meteors. 

46.  see  thyself.     The  phrase  marks  the  handiwork  of  Cassius. 

47.  &c.     The  scansion  of  this  line  is  doubtful.     Comparing  51  and 
55,  I  think  &c.  is  to  be  pronounced  as  a  trisyllable,  and  that  strike  is 
a  foot  by  itself.     See  Appendix  A,  §  3  (Hi). 

50.  took.     See  i.  2.  48,  note  on  "mistook". 

53.  My  ancestors,  Lucius  Junius  Brutus.  Another  mark  of 
the  sentimental  view  of  a  practical  question  which  always  touches 
Brutus. 

55.  Speak,  strike.  Each  of  these  words  has  a  very  strong  stress 
giving  it  the  force  of  a  foot  by  itself. 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  97 

59.  fourteen.  Ff.  fifteen,  corrected  by  Warburton.  It  was 
in  fact  now  early  morning  on  the  fifteenth  day  :  but  Brutus  evidently 
thought  of  it  as  the  night  of  the  fourteenth. 

64.  motion,  impulse,  setting  in  motion. 

66-69.  "The  genius,  or  power  that  watches  for  his  protection, 
and  the  mortal  instruments,  the  passions,  which  excite  him  to  a 
deed  of  honour  and  danger,  are  in  council  and  debate :  when  the  de- 
sire of  action,  and  the  care  of  safety,  keep  the  mind  in  continual 
fluctuation  and  disturbance  ".  (Johnson.)  Evidently  Johnson  takes 
Genius  as  a  guardian  spirit  (as  it  appears  always  to  be  used),  opposed 
to  the  mortal  passions  of  the  flesh :  which  are  in  council,  i.e.  '  in  de- 
bate '  together.  Others  take  mortal  as  '  deadly  \  The  instruments 
may  also  be  the  *  organs'  rather  than  the  *  passions';  but  on  the 
whole  Johnson's  rendering  seems  the  least  difficult. 

67.  state,  a  frequent  metaphor. 

69.  insurrection.     Cf.  i.  2.  46,  "  Brutus,  with  himself  at  war". 

70.  brother.     Cassius'  wife  was  Brutus'  sister. 

72.  moe,  old  form  of  '  more ',  of  very  frequent  occurrence,  used  in 
expressions  of  number,  not  of  size. 
77.  faction.     Cf.  note  on  "factious",  i.  3.  118. 

83.  path.     The  use  of  a  substantive  as  a  verb  has  so  many 
parallels  (Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §  290)  that  the  text  may  be  correct.    Pass, 
thy,  pace,  thy\  put  thy  have  all  been  suggested,  and  may  any  of  them 
be  right. 

native,  natural. 

84.  Erebus,  one  of  the  divisions  of  the  infernal  regions,  where 
the  light  was  fabled  to  be  dim. 

loi-ui.  The  casual  character  of  this  conversation  may  be  taken 
either  as  a  mark  of  extreme  anxiety,  or  of  heedlessness.  Which? 

104.  fret.  'The  breaking  of  the  edges  of  the  clouds  with  light '  is 
the  idea  conveyed. 

107.  growing  on,  encroaching  on. 

108.  Weighing,  i.e.  if  you  weigh  or  consider  how  young  the  year 
is.     As  it  was  almost  the  equinox,  Casca's  calculations  are  not  very 
accurate.     Sunrise  would  be  very  nearly  due  east. 

in.  the  Capitol.  Cf.  note  oni.  3.  75.  Possibly  the  fact  that  the 
Tower  of  London  was  due  east  of  the  Globe  Theatre  may  have  been 
in  Shakespeare's  mind. 

114.  face  of  men,  i.e.  the  sense  of  danger  and  anxiety  which  we 
see  on  men's  faces. 

114-116.  The  construction  is  changed  in  the  course  of  the  sentence. 
'  If  these  things  are  not  motive  strong  enough'  is  the  form  intended  at 
first. 

(S31)  G 


98  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  II. 

115.  sufferance:  here  *  distress '. 
118.  high-sighted,  i.e.  'that  looks  high'. 
123.  What  need  we  =  why  need  we.      Cf.  A.V.  "What  need 
we  any  further  witness?" 

125.  secret,  discreet. 

126.  palter,  be  shifty. 

129.  Swear  priests:  'to  swear'  is  still  used  transitively  as  well 
as  intransitively.    We  talk  of  *  swearing  a  witness',  'swearing  a  man 
to  secrecy*. 

cautelous,  deceitful,  untrustworthy.     See  Glossary. 

130.  carrion  occurs  several  times  as  a  term  of  contempt  in  Shake- 
speare. 

130,  131.  such. ..souls  That.  Cf.  note  on  i.  2.  33,  "that 
gentleness...  as". 

133.  even,  calm. 

134.  insuppressive :  for  'insuppressible',  the  active  for  the  pas- 
sive form.     Cf.  As  You  Like  It,  iii.  2.  10,  "the  unexpressive  she". 
Conversely  we  have  " unmeritable "  for  'undeserving',  iv.   I.  12; 
"contemptible"  for  'contemptuous,'  &c.     For  other  instances  see 
Abbott,  Sh.  6V.  §  3. 

J35-  To  think,  by  thinking.  The  infinitive  is  thus  frequently 
used  for  the  gerund.  So  A. V.  "What  mean  ye  to  weep  and  to 
break  mine  heart?"  Cf.  ii.  2.  119,  "I  am  to  blame  to  be  thus  waited 
for",  and  iii.  2.  108,  "What  cause  withholds  you  then  to  mourn 
for  him?" 

or... or  for  'either... or'  is  common. 

138.  a  several  bastardy,  is  separately  the  cause  of  an  illegiti- 
mate act.  Every  particle  of  the  man  is  responsible  for  his  act. 

141.  shall  we  sound  him.  Note  the  emphasis  on  him,  marked 
by  the  scansion  of  the  line.  Line  183  presents  an  exact  parallel.  But 
see  Appendix  A,  §  7  (i). 

145.  silver  hairs.  Cicero  was  now  about  62  years  of  age. — Note 
the  play  upon  the  words  silver  and  purchase. 

148.  youths.   For  the  plural,  see  note  on  "behaviours",  i.  2.  42. 

150.  break  with  him,  make  disclosure  to  him ;  so  frequently. 
The  modern  use  in  the  sense  'quarrel*  occurs  only  in  Coriolanus,  iv. 
6.  47,  "It  cannot  be  The  Volsces  dare  break  with  us". 

153.  Notice  that  whereas  Cassius  merely  assents  to  Brutus'  ob- 
jection, without  confirming  it,  Casca  veers  completely  round. 

155.  Cassius,  practical  as  usual,  urges  the  direct  advantages  of 
removing  Antony.  Brutus  is  impressed,  also  as  usual,  by  the  senti- 
mental aspect  of  the  question.  And  as  usual,  Cassius  gives  way  to 
Brutus. 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  99 

157.  find  of  him :    a  common  construction,  analogous  to  our 
"make  a  fool  of". 

162.  Brutus  has  a  fine  confidence,  not  only  that  the  motives  of  his 
fellow -conspirators  are  as  pure  as  his  own,  but  that  their  purity  must  be 
readily  and  proudly  recognized.     Cassius  prefers  a  less  hypothetical 
security. 

163.  To  cut  the  head  off:  another  instance  of  the  infinitive  used 
as  gerund.     Cf.  above,  line  1 35  and  note. 

166.  For  the  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  5  (iv). 
169.  come  by,  get  possession  of. 

174.  Malone  quotes  North's  Plutarch  ;  he  "was  hacked  and  man- 
gled among  them  as  a  wild  beast  taken  of  hunters". 

175.  as  subtle  masters  do.      The  standing  example  in  English 
history  is  that  of  Henry  II.  and  the  murder  of  Becket.    The  principle 
is  elaborately  discussed  in  Macchiavelli's  Prince. 

178.   For  scansion,  see  Appendix  A,  §  7  (ii). 

183.  him,  emphatic,  as  in  line  141,  where  see  note :  and  Appendix 
A,  §  7  (iii). 

184.  ingrafted  love,  love  that  is  so  firmly  fixed  in  him  as  to 
have  become  a  part  of  him. 

187.  take  thought.     Cf.  A.  V.  "  Which  of  you  by  taking  thought 
can  add  one  cubit  to  his  stature?" 

188.  And  that  were  much,  and  that  would  be  a  great  deal  for 
him.     Brutus  is  quite  incapable  of  realizing  the  force  that  may  be 
hidden  behind  so  frivolous  an  exterior. 

190.  fear,  cause  of  fear,  danger.     Shakespeare  often  uses  words 
to  express  the  cause  of  a  feeling  which  we  use  only  to  express  the 
feeling.     So  'to  fear*  is  used  for  'to  cause  fear'  (e.g.  "this  aspect 
of  mine  hath  fear'd  the  valiant",  Merchant  of  Venice^  ii.  i.  8):  and 
we  have  had  "sterile"  for  'causing  sterility'  in  i.  2.  9. 

191.  Clock  strikes.     This  is  an  anachronism.     Cf.  ii.  4.  22,  note. 
— Observe  also  the  careful  marking  of  time  in  these  scenes  lead- 
ing up  to  the  murder.     It  is  eight  when  the  conspirators  summon 
Caesar  (ii.  2.  114),  and  "the  ninth  hour"  when  the  soothsayer  goes 
to  meet  him. 

194.  Whether,  a  monosyllable.     Cf.  i.  i.  66,  note. 

196.  Quite   from  the  main   opinion.     Cf.    "clean  from   the 
purpose",  i.  3.  35. 

main  opinion,  general  opinion.  Mason  ingeniously  (but 
unnecessarily)  conjectured  mean,  which  was  probably  pronounced 
'main'. 

197.  ceremonies,  superstitious  notions — the  third  sense  in  which 
the  word  has  occurred  in  this  play;  see  i.  I.  7O»  2.  II. 


ioo  JULIUS  C^SAR.  [Act  II. 

198.  apparent:  not  *  seeming'  but  'which  have  appeared*  or 
possibly  '  evident ' :  but  the  latter  is  unlikely,  as  Cassius,  the  speaker, 
professes  disbelief  in  omens. 

200.  augurers.  The  ordinary  form  'augur'  never  occurs  as  a  sub- 
stantive in  the  plays,  unless  in  a  doubtful  passage  in  Macbeth.  Augurer 
occurs  again  in  this  play,  in  Coriolanus^  and  in  Antony.  The  augurs 
were  professional  interpreters  of  omens,  more  especially  of  those 
obtained  from  sacrifices.  Both  the  state  and  individuals  rarely  set 
about  any  important  business  without  inquiring  whether  the  omens 
were  favourable. 

203.  Bacon  in  his   essay   of  Friendship   has   the    following: — 
"  With  Julius  Caesar,  Decimus  Brutus  had  obtained  that  interest  as 
he  set  him  down  in  his  testament  for  heir  in  remainder  after  his 
nephew.     And  this  was  the  man  that  had  power  with  him  to  draw 
him  forth  to  his  death ;  for  when  Caesar  would  have  discharged  the 
senate,  in  regard  of  some  ill  presages,  and  specially  a  dream  of 
Calpurnia,  this  man  lifted  him  gently  by  the  arm  out  of  his  chair, 
telling  him  he  hoped  he  would  not  dismiss  the  senate  till  his  wife 
had  dreamt  a  better  dream.    And  it  seemeth  his  favour  was  so  great, 
as  Antonius,  in  a  letter  which  is  recited  verbatim  in  one  of  Cicero's 
Philippics,   calleth   him  venefica   (witch)   as  if  he  had   enchanted 
Caesar." — Bacon's  knowledge  of  the  period  was  not  drawn  from 
North's  Plutarch. 

204.  Unicorns  were  supposed  to  be  captured  by  the  huntsman 
standing  against  a  tree,  and  stepping  aside  when  the  animal  charged, 
so  that  it  drove  its  horn  into  the  tree. 

205.  "Bears  are  reported  to  have  been  surprised  by  means  of  a 
mirror,  which  they  would  gaze  on,  affording  their  pursuers  an  oppor- 
tunity of  taking  the  surer  aim.     Elephants  were  seduced  into  pitfalls, 
lightly  covered  with  hurdles  and  turf,  on  which  a  proper  bait  to 
tempt  them  was  exposed."  (Steevens.) 

215.  bear  Caesar  hard.  Cf.  i.  2.  317,  and  references  in  the 
note  there. 

218.  by  him,  by  way  of  his  house. 

220.  fashion  him,  mould  him :  much  as  in  line  30,  "fashion  it 
thus". 

225.  put  on,  wear  the  appearance  or  signs  of,  like  "put  on  fear", 
i.  3.  60. 

227.  formal,  dignified,  like  "formal  majesty",  2  Henry  IV.  v.  2. 
133. 

230.  honey-heavy  dew,  dew  heavy  with  honey,  or  like  honey; 
perhaps  referring  to  the  glutinous  deposit  known  as  'honey-dew*. 
There  was,  however,  a  popular  belief  that  the  honey  in  flowers  was 
generated  by  dew.  Hence  Vergil,  Georgics,  iv.  I,  "  aerii  mellis 
caelestia  dona  "  (celestial  gifts  of  aerial  honey). 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  101 

234.  Portia  plays  a  very  small  part,  yet  she  is  a  singularly  clear 
and  complete  figure.  Her  strength  of  character,  her  resolution,  her 
tenderness,  her  persistency,  and  her  loyalty  are  equally  marked. 
The  account  of  Portia's  arguments  and  actions  throughout  is  taken 
directly  from  Plutarch. 

236.  condition,   of  body.     Below,   line  254,   the  word  stands, 
again  by  itself,  for 'condition  of  mind*,  'temper*.     Portia's  "weak 
condition"   probably   means   that   she   had   been   actually  ill;    as 
Plutarch  says  she  had  brought  on  a  fever  by  her  wound  (line  300) ; 
and  Brutus  would  have  known  of  the  fever  though  she  had  concealed 
the  cause. 

237.  Nor  for  yours  neither.     The  double  negative  is  habitual. 

238.  Stole :  elsewhere  '  stolen '.     Cf.  '  took '  for  '  taken ',  &c. : 
note  on  i.  2.  48. 

246.  wafture.    The  word  does  not  occur  elsewhere  in  Shakespeare. 

250.  humour.  There  were  supposed  to  be  four  'humours',  i.e. 
forms  of  moisture,  in  the  body.  When  these  were  present  in  due 
proportion,  all  was  well :  but  the  excess  or  defect  of  any  of  them 
produced  disorder.  These  four  humours — Blood,  Phlegm,  Choler, 
Melancholy — were  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  four  '  elements ', 
Air,  Water,  Fire,  and  Earth. 

254.  condition,  temper;  so  frequently:  cf.  line  236,  note. 

255.  Dear  my  lord.    In  addressing  people,  the  possessive  adjec- 
tive was  often  treated  as  coalescing  with  the  substantive,  and  the 
epithet  preceded.      This  is  especially  common  with  '  my  lord '.     In- 
stances, however,  occur  where  the  adjective  precedes,  without  any 
such  explanation  (e.g.  "sweet  our  Queen") — perhaps  from  a  false 


256.  your  cause  of  grief,  the  cause  of  your  grief. 

261.  physical,  wholesome.    Cf.  Coriolanus,  i.  5.  19,  "The  blood 
I  drop  is  rather  physical  Than  dangerous  to  me". 

262.  unbraced.    So  in  i.  3.  48,  Cassius  walked  "unbraced".  See 
i.  2.  267,  note. 

283.  in  sort,  in  a  manner,  i.e.  only  after  a  fashion. 

295.  Cato,  M.  Portius  Cato,  who  is  the  proverbial  type  of  antique 
Roman  virtue  in  an  age  of  moral  decay. 

308.  charactery,  writing.  Cf.  Merry  Wives,  v.  5.  77,  "  Fairies 
use  flowers  for  their  charactery  ". 

311.  Ligarius.  "  Now  amongst  Pompey's  friends  there  was  one 
called  Caius  Ligarius,  who  had  been  accused  unto  Caesar  for  taking 
part  with  Pompey,  but  Caesar  discharged  him.  But  Ligarius 
thanked  not  Caesar  so  much  for  his  discharge,  as  he  was  offended 
with  him  for  that  he  was  brought  in  danger  of  his  tyrannical  power; 
and  therefore  in  his  heart  he  was  always  his  mortal  enemy."  (North.) 


102  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  II. 

313.  Vouchsafe,  vouchsafe  to  receive.  Cf.  King  John,  iii.  I.  293, 
"  our  prayers  come  in  If  thou  vouchsafe  them". 

315.  kerchief.     Cf.  Northumberland,  in  2  Henry  IV.  i.  I.  147 — 

"hence,  thou  sickly  quoif! 
Thou  art  a  guard  too  wanton  for  the  head 
Which  princes,  flesh'd  with  conquest,  aim  to  hit ". 

318.  For  the  scansion  of  this  line  see  Appendix  A,  §3  (iv). 

319.  Had  you,  an  incorrect  consecution  of  tenses;  there  is  really 
an  ellipse  of  *  which  I  would  tell  you  of'. 

324.  mortified,  dead.  Brutus  has  recalled  him  to  life,  as  an 
exorcist  calls  the  spirits  of  the  dead  to  earth  again. 

331.  To  whom  it  must  be  done.  The  clause  is  an  extension  of 
the  clause  what  it  is,  which  is  the  direct  object  of  the  verb;  and  is 
like  the  A.  V.  "know  thee  who  thou  art  ". 

Scene  2. 

It  is  clear  that  Caesar  is  really  uneasy  at  the  omens  and  portents, 
but  will  not  confess  so  much  even  to  himself.  He  seems  to  have 
arrived  at  a  half-belief  in  his  own  superiority  to  the  dangers  of 
ordinary  men,  and  a  real  contempt  for  the  fear  of  death ;  combined 
with  a  feeling  that  there  is  danger  in  the  air. 

The  difference  in  the  attitude   of  Calpurnia  to  Caesar  and   of 
Portia  to  Brutus  is  very  marked. 
night-gown^  dressing-gown. 

i.  have  been  in  strict  grammar  should  be  'has  been',  the  two 
subjects  being  connected  by  a  disjunctive  conjunction. 

6.  opinions.  Cf.  "behaviours",  i.  2.  42,  for  the  use  of  a  plural 
where  we  should  probably  use  the  singular. 

13.  stood  on,  insisted  on,  made  much  of;  so  very  frequently, 
ceremonies,  superstitious  ideas,  as  in  ii.  i.  197. 

14-16.  There  is  one... recounts.  The  omission  of  the  relative 
is  common. 

19.  fought.  Ff.  fight.  Dyce's  correction ;  probable,  because  of 
the  cacophony  with  right  in  the  next  line. 

25.  use,  custom. 

27.  Whose  end,  purpose,  object.  There  is  a  suggestion  of  a 
kind  of  fatalism  which  is  old  as  Homer — which  considers  that  the 
gods  arrange  a  certain  number  of  inevitable  events,  and  leave 
humanity  to  settle  minor  matters.  *  We  can  avoid  things  which  are 
not  among  the  inevitable  decrees.'  Line  36  would  seem  to  imply 
that  in  Csesar's  view  the  hour  of  a  man's  death  is  among  the  things 
foredoomed. 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  103 

38.  to  stir  forth,  a  case  where  the  to  as  sign  of  the  infinitive 
may  be  inserted  or  omitted  at  pleasure.  Cf.  i.  I.  3,  "ought  not 
walk  ",  note. 

76.  Calpurnia's  dream  in  Plutarch  was,  "that  Caesar  was  slain 
and  she  had  him  in  her  arms  ". 

statua.  The  Folios  always  print  statue ;  but  the  word  was 
clearly  pronounced  indifferently  as  dissyllable  or  trisyllable;  therefore 
in  the  latter  cases  statua  has  been  adopted. 

80.  portents,  always  accented  on  the  second  syllable ;  otherwise 
one  might  be  inclined  to  omit  and.     See  Appendix  A,  §  7  (iv),  §  5 
,§6(i). 

89.  cognizance,  memorial.  The  reference  is  clearly  to  the 
practice,  familiar  after  the  numerous  executions  under  the  houses  of 
York  and  Tudor,  of  dipping  handkerchiefs  in  the  blood  of  popular 
heroes.  The  explanation,  however,  is  rather  unfortunate  from  the 
point  of  view  of  Decius. 

96.  a  mock.  The  substantive  has  fallen  out  of  use  except  in  the 
phrase  '  make  mock '  or  *  make  a  mock '. 

103.  proceeding.     We  should  use  the  plural   *  proceedings '. 
'  Fortunate '  is  understood  as  commonly  *  luck '  =  *  good  luck  '. 

104.  liable,   accordant  with ;  not  *  subject  to '  as  Schmidt  takes 
it.     Decius  does  not  mean  that  his  love  overmasters  reason,   but 
that  his  love  and  reason  are  agreed. 

114.  strucken.  This  form  occurs  again  iii.  I.  209,  "a  deer, 
strucken  by  many  princes  ". 

119.  to  be  :  gerund,  'for  being'.     Cf.  note  on  ii.  I.  135. 

129.  yearns,  grieves  :  not  connected  with  yearn  =  '  desire '.  See 
Glossary. 

Scene  3. 

"And  one  Artemidorus,  also  born  in  the  He  of  Gnidos,  a  doctor 
of  Rhetorick  in  the  Greeke  tongue,  who  by  means  of  his  profession 
was  very  familiar  with  certaine  of  Brutus'  confederates,  and  therefore 
knew  the  most  part  of  all  their  practises  against  Caesar,  came  and 
brought  him  a  little  bill  written  with  his  owne  hand  of  all  that  he 
meant  to  tell  him."  (North's  Plutarch.} 

The  only  hint  of  the  conspiracy  having  been  suspected  by  anyone 
is  given  by  Artemidorus,  except  the  enigmatical  remark  of  Popilius 
at  iii.  I.  12.  The  incident  of  Artemidorus  is  taken  direct  from 
Plutarch;  its  dramatic  value  lies  in  its  answering  the  question  how 
far  such  a  wide  conspiracy  could  have  been  conducted  without  rais- 
ing some  sort  of  suspicion. 


104  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  II. 

7.  8.  thou...you.     Thou  is  generally  used  in  passages  of  strong] 
emotion;  in  addressing  a  recognized  superior,  or  a  recognized  in- 
ferior; or  between  very  familiar  companions.      You  is  the  ordinary 
form  in  addressing  equals,  at  any  rate  in  prose.     These  are,  how-  j 
ever,  mere  general  rules,  not  at  all  strictly  adhered  to.     But  the! 
mixture  of  'thou'  and  'you*  is  not  common;   and  here  perhaps 

*  look  about  thee '  would  be  preferable. 

8.  security,  confidence,  not  'safety'.     Cf.  Judges,  viii.  u,  "And 
Gideon... smote  the  host;  for  the  host  was  secure". 

9.  lover :  often  in  Shakespeare  only  a  rather  warmer  word  than 
'  friend '.     It  is  used  twice  by  Brutus  in  his  speech,  iii.  2. 

14.  Out  of  the  teeth.     The  modern  idiom  would  be  '  can  only 
live  in  the  teeth  of  emulation '. 

15.  16.  For  the  couplet  concluding  the  scene  cf.  i.  2.  325,  note. 

16.  contrive,  conspire.     Cf.  ii.  I.  58,   " a  shrewd  contriver". 

Scene  4. 

For  the  way  in  which  Portia's  perturbation  shows  itself,  Steevens 
quotes  a  like  forgetfulness  in  Richard  III.  iv.  4.  444 — 

"Dull,  unmindful  villain ! 

Why  stand'st  thou  still,  and  go'st  not  to  the  duke? 
Gate.  First,  mighty  sovereign,  let  me  know  your  mind, 
What  from  your  grace  I  shall  deliver  to  him  ". 

6.  constancy.  *  Loyalty  to  my  trust'  would  be  the  modern  ren- 
dering; but  Shakespeare  may  have  meant  no  more  than  *  firmness ', 
as  often. 

1 8.  Note  how  suggestive  is  the  sound  of  this  line. 

rumour,  confused  noise.  See  Glossary  and  cf.  King  John, 
v.  4.  45,  "bear  me  hence  From  forth  the  noise  and  rumour  of  the 
field  ". 

21.  Enter  Soothsayer.  Tyrwhitt  proposed  to  substitute  Arte-  \ 
midorus.  The  part  might  be  assigned  to  him,  as  it  is  not  implied 
that  he  knew  more  than  that  certain  definite  people  were  not  to  be 
trusted.  Moreover,  the  Soothsayer  had  no  'suit'  to  Csesar  (27), 
and  Artemidorus  had.  Still,  there  is  hardly  enough  ground  for 
deserting  the  text.  It  may  be  doubted  if  Portia  would  have  ad- 
dressed Artemidorus  as  'fellow',  though  he  is  'the  fellow'  to 
Csesar  (h'L  i.  10). 

23.  the  ninth  hour,  i.e.  nine  o'clock.     Shakespeare  reckoned  the 
time  in  modern  fashion.     The  Romans,  however,  divided  the  period 
of  daylight  into  twelve  '  hours '  from  sunrise  to  sunset. 

24.  Is  Caesar...  gone.     With  verbs  of  motion,   'to  be'  is  often 
the  auxiliary,  as  in  modern  French;  cf.  iii,  2.  1 1,  "The  noble  Brutus 
is  ascended  ". 


Scene  4.]  NOTES.  105 

31.  any  harm 's,   any  harm  that  is.      The    relative  is    often 
omitted. 

40.  For  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  6  (vi). 


Act  III.— Scene  I. 

This  is  the  central  scene  of  the  play.  Caesar  is  apparently  the 
only  person  unconscious  of  the  tremendous  tension  at  the  opening — 
a  tension  which  never  slackens  till  the  end  of  the  act. 

8.  Caesar's  dignity  occasionally  verges  on  the  pompous  and  bom- 
bastic, but  this  has  the  true  imperial  ring. 

17.  discovered.     The  final  ~ed  is  pronounced  as  a  separate  syl- 
lable or  not,  according  to  convenience.     So  we  have  " banished" 
in  44,  and  "banish'd"  in  51. 

18.  For  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  6  (vi). 

22.  constant  :  not  'loyal ',  for  his  loyalty  is  above  suspicion;  but 
'  firm  ',  '  unmoved '.  Cf.  note  on  "  constancy  ",  ii.  4.  6. 

28.  presently,  immediately;  softened  in  modern  use  into  '  before 
long'.  ' Anon1  =  on  an,  'in  one  moment,'  has  been  similarly  softened. 

29.  address'd,  ready;  so  frequently. 

32.  Caesar  and  his  senate.  The  fact  that  the  Senate  was 
Caesar's  instrument  was  not  so  galling  to  the  bookish  republicans 
like  Brutus  as  his  assuming  that  it  was  so;  just  as  it  was  the  idea  of 
the  coronation  which  shocked  them  more  than  the  actual  power. 
Caesar's  phrase  is  an  apt  spur  to  hesitation  on  their  part. 

36.  courtesies,  the  act  of  bending  (for  which  the  variant  curtsey 
has  been  appropriated,  with  a  limitation  of  sense).  This  meaning  is 
common  in  Shakespeare,  and  is  very  marked  at  line  43. 

38.  And  turn,  turn  what  is  predestined  and  decreed  from  the 
beginning  into  laws  as  subject  to  change  as  children's  rules;  that 
is,  '  they  are  as  likely  to  do  that  as  to  affect  me,  because  I  am  not 
an  ordinary  man'. 

first  decree.     Craik's  conjecture^/  is  tempting. 

39.  fond,  foolish;    fond  to  thinks  so  fond  as  to  think.     Both 
*so'   and  'as'  are  often  omitted:  cf.  iii.  2.  125 ;  iv.  3.  270. 

40.  41.  such  ...  That.     Cf.  note  on  i.  2.  33. 

47,  48.  The  reading  of  the  text  is  that  of  the  early  editions.  Ben 
Jonson,  however,  quotes  Caesar's  answer  as  follows  (in  the  Discov- 
eries) :  " Caesar  did  never  wrong  but  with  just  cause",  as  an  instance 
of  Shakespeare  being  betrayed  into  an  absurdity  by  carelessness, 
and  he  refers  to  the  blunder  in  the  Staple  of  News,  to  ridicule  it. 
But  he  quotes  the  words  as  given  in  answer  to  some  one  saying, 


106  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  III. 

"Caesar,  thou  dost  me  wrong".  Now  the  mistake  is  a  perfectly 
possible  one,  the  writer  thinking  of  'wrong'  in  the  sense  of 
'harm',  not  'injustice'  (as  'injury'  might  be  used).  But  this 
was  not  the  sort  of  blunder  that  the  printers  were  likely  to  correct. 
I  believe,  then,  (i)  that  Shakespeare  first  wrote  the  lines  much  as 
Jonson  gives  them,  and  they  were  so  given  on  the  stage;  but  that  (2) 
circumstances  called  his  attention  to  the  absurdity,  and  so  he  cor- 
rected the  MS. ;  and  that  we  are  fairly  entitled  to  consider  that  Shake- 
speare, not  the  printer,  gave  the  text  its  present  form;  while  Ben 
Jonson  may  have  been  quite  unaware  of  the  change.  For  he  mani- 
festly quoted  from  memory,  not  with  the  text  before  him;  and,  as 
he  himself  says  in  another  part  of  the  Discoveries >  his  memory  "was 
wont  to  be  faithful  to  me;  but,  shaken  with  age  now,  and  sloth, 
which  weakens  the  strongest  abilities,  it  may  perform  somewhat, 
but  cannot  promise  much". 

The  case  for  Jonson's  part- authorship  in  this  play  rests  on  a  few 
coincidences  of  diction — a  principle  on  which  one  can  attribute 
nearly  any  work  to  nearly  any  author.  The  present  passage,  taken 
with  Jonson's  remarks  on  it,  seems  fairly  decisive.  And  whether 
Jonson  would  have  passed  '  Decius '  Brutus  may  be  questioned. 

54.  freedom  of  repeal,  free  recall. 

57.  enfranchisement,  full  restoration  of  the  rights  of  citizen- 
ship. 

59.  '  Being  too  high  to  pray  to  anyone,  I  am  also  too  firm  to  be 
moved  by  the  prayers  of  others.'  Note  the  stress  on  me,  marked  by 
the  scansion  of  the  line,  as  on  "him"  in  ii.  I.  141,  181,  and  183. 

65.  hold  his  place,  keep  an  unchanging  position  in  the  firma- 
ment. 

67.  apprehensive,  capricious.     See  Glossary. 

70.  Unshaked.     For  the  form  cf.  i.  3.  6,  note  on  "rived". 

75.  Doth  not.  So  Fol.  i;  Fol.  2,  Do  not,  followed  by  Johnson, 
because  M.  Brutus  would  not  have  knelt,  and  Decius  was  also  a 
Brutus.  But  Decius  is  never  elsewhere  addressed  or  referred  to  as 
'  Brutus '. 

77.  Et  tu,  Brute.  The  phrase  does  not  come  from  Plutarch  or 
any  classical  authority.  Its  source  is  unknown. 

81.   enfranchisement.      Cf.  line  57;    but  here  it  is  implied 
that  no  one  could  be  a  fully  enfranchised  citizen  while  Caesar  ruled. 
84.  the  pulpit,  i.e.  the  rostra. 

92.  Note  this  speech  as  indicative  of  the  gentler  side  of  Cassius' 
character;  which  is  elsewhere  hardly  allowed  to  appear  except  in 
his  very  strong  affection  for  Brutus,  until  act  v. 

94.  abide,  aby,  pay  for.     See  Glossary. 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  107 

95.  But  we:  should  be,  'but  us'.  With  personal  pronouns, 
however,  such  irregularity — and  the  converse — is  far  from  rare.  Cf. 
i.  3.  76,  note. 

97.  wives,  'women*  generally.  Now  so  used  only  in  such  com- 
pound forms  as  '  house-wife ',  and  locally. 

100.  stand  upon,  make  much  of;  as  in  ii.  2.    13,   "I  never 
stood  on  ceremonies  ". 

101.  Casca.      Pope  altered  to  Cassius,  and  has  been  followed  in 
the  Globe  edition.     It  would  not  be  inappropriate  for  either  Cassius 
or  Casca.     But  it  is  worth  while  to  recall  the  very  different  sentiment 
to  which  Caesar  has  himself  given  expression — 

"  Cowards  die  many  times  before  their  deaths ; 
The  valiant  never  taste  of  death  but  once  ". 

I2i.  most  boldest.  The  double  superlative  occurs  several 
times,  as  does  the  double  comparative;  e.g.  the  familiar  "how 
much  more  elder  art  thou  than  thy  looks";  and  "  This  was  the  most 
unkindest  cut  of  all ". 

123-137.  Note  that  Antony  never  commits  himself  to  more 
than  that  he  will  be  friends  with  the  conspirators  provided  they 
make  their  case  good. 

131.  be  resolved,  satisfied;  so  often. 

136.  Thorough.  Through  and  thorough  are  the  same  word,  the 
o  merely  representing  the  indefinite  sound  coming  between  a  liquid 
and  a  previous  consonant,  as  in  '  fillip '  for  '  flip  '.  Conversely  we 
have  'throughly'  for  'thoroughly'.  Cf.  Appendix  A,  §  6  (iv).  The 
different  spellings  ultimately  were  appropriated  to  the  different  uses, 
as  with  '  metal '  and  '  mettle ',  '  queen '  and  '  quean '. 

X38,  139.  Observe,  again,  how  readily  Brutus  accepts  the  honesty 
of  anyone  who  compliments  him  judiciously.  Until  now  he  had 
invariably  spoken  of  Antony  in  terms  of  contempt. 

140.  so  please  him  come.  This  phrase  contains  two  elliptical 
forms.  The  full  sentence  would  be :  'If  it  be  so  that  it  please  him 
to  come '.  For  the  omission  of  to  before  the  infinitive  cf.  note  on 
i.  i.  3,  "ought  not  walk".  So  is  frequently  used  in  this  way, 
especially  in  the  phrase  '  so  please  you '  =  '  if  it  please  you '. 

143.  to  friend,  as  a  friend.  Cf.  Cymbeline,  i.  4.  118,  "Had  I 
admittance  and  opportunity  to  friend". 

145.  my   misgiving,   &c.,   my  suspicions    are    not    often   ill- 
grounded. 

146.  shrewdly,  sharply  and  unpleasantly.      So  a  'shrewd  wit* 
is  a  'biting  wit':  "the  air  bites  shrewdly"  when  it  is  "a  nipping 
and  an  eager  air",     See  Glossary. 


io8  JULIUS   C^SAR.  [Act  III. 

148.  Antony's  speeches  require  particularly  close  attention  through- 
out. They  abound  in  'irony'  in  the  sense  that  their  superficial 
meaning,  intended  for  the  conspirators,  is  different  from  what  the 
same  words  would  convey  to  one  who  knew  what  Antony's  de- 
signs were:  a  meaning  which  a  slight  intonation  would  at  once 
convey  even  to  the  unsuspecting  Brutus.  There  is  nothing  for  the 
most  suspicious  to  catch  hold  of,  and  yet  there  is  no  phrase  incon- 
sistent with  his  subsequent  action.  Here,  he  is  feeling  his  way 
— not  as  to  his  ultimate  course,  which  is  decided,  but  to  see 
how  far  he  can  make  the  conspirators  unconscious  instruments  in 
his  own  hands.  Cassius,  who  alone  knows  that  the  man  they  are 
dealing  with  is  "  a  shrewd  contriver  ",  is  not  deceived,  but  is  com- 
pletely baffled  in  the  attempt  to  make  Brutus  see  with  his  own 
acuteness. 

Note  especially  the  skill  with  which  Antony  frankly  assumes  the 
role  of  a  great  admirer  of  Caesar  who  has  received  a  severe  shock : 
thereby  disarming  suspicion  and  getting  credit  for  being  perfectly 
open  when  his  hidden  meaning  is  most  sinister. 

152.  be  let  blood:  in  full,  'let  forth  blood';  the  abbreviated 
form  is  common  in  '  to  let  blood ',  but  in  no  other  phrase.  In  the 
expression  to  '  let  him  blood '  or  '  let  him  forth  blood ',  blood  is  the 
direct  object,  and  'him  '  is  like  'me'  in  "plucked  me  ope  his  doub- 
let "  (i.  2.  267),  corresponding  to  the  Greek  or  Latin  '  ethic '  dative. 
Hence  the  passive  form,  'I  am  let  blood*  is  incorrect,  strictly 
speaking,  though  '  I  am  let  to  bleed  '  would  be  correct. 

rank,  i.e.  requiring  to  be  cut  down. 

154.  nor  no  instrument.     The  double  negative  is  habitual. 

155.  that. ..as.    Cf.  i.  2.  33,  "that  gentleness... as,"  note. 

157.  bear  me  hard,  bear  a  grudge  against  me.  Cf.  i.  2.  317, 
note. 

1 60.  apt,  ready. 

161.  mean.     We  should  use  the  plural  form  'means '. 

171.  as  fire  drives  out  fire.  Cf.  Romeo  and  Juliet,  i.  2.  46, 
"Tut,  man,  one  fire  burns  out  another's  burning".  For  scansion 
see  Appendix  A,  §6  (viii).  The  idea  recurs  in  King  John,  iii.  I.  277, 
and  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,  ii.  4.  192. 

174.  Steevens  explains  most  unsatisfactorily  "our  arms,  strong  in 
the  deed  of  malice  they  have  wrought,  yet...".  But  Brutus  would 
never  have  called  it  a  '  deed  of  malice '.  Beyond  doubt,  the  line  as 
it  stands  is  corrupt,  (i)  Capell  proposed  no  strength  for  in  strength, 
with  (;)  at  malice.  (2)  Collier  suggests  that  welcoe  written  for 
'  welcome '  might  easily  have  been  read  '  malice  ' ;  a  very  attractive 
emendation. 

177.  Cassius,  regarding  Antony  as  a  "  shrewd  contriver",  at  once 
appeals  to  his  interest  to  secure  his  support,  having  been  overruled 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  109 

in  the  desire  to  remove  him.  Brutus  thinks  of  him  as  the  friend 
who  must  be  reasoned  into  forgiveness. 

192.  conceit^ conceive.     Cf.  note  on  i.  3.  162,  and  Glossary. 

196.  dearer,  more  dearly.  The  adjective  used  for  the  adverb  is 
very  common;  see  Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §  i. 

204.  bay'd,  brought  to  bay. 

205.  hunters.     Cf.  ii.  i.  174 — 

"  Let's  carve  him  as  a  dish  fit  for  the  gods, 
Not  hew  him  as  a  carcass  fit  for  hounds  ", 

and  the  note  there.  There  is  a  certain  irony  in  the  way  in  which 
every  aspiration,  every  finer  desire,  with  which  Brutus  entered  on 
the  conspiracy  is  falsified  in  the  result. 

206.  Sign'd  in  thy  spoil,  bearing  the  stains  of  your  blood  as 
the  insignia  of  their  craft ;  as  the  working  men  in  i.  I  were  told  that 
they  should  carry  the  *  signs'  of  their  trade.    Spoil  may  perhaps  have 
been  a  technical  term ;  but  it  seems  rather  to  mean  *  blood ',  from  a 
natural  extension  of  the  common  use  of  the  word  for  'destruction*. 
It  can  hardly  mean  '  spoils '. 

lethe  (First  Fol.  Lethee)  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained. 
Perhaps  it  stands  for  *  death',  as  'lethal'  is  used  for  'deadly*. 
Steevens  quotes  Hey  wood's  Iron  Age,  ii.  1632 — 

"The  proudest  nation  that  great  Asia  nurs'd 
Is  now  extinct  in  lethe  ". 

Capell  says  lethe  is  a  technical  term  for  the  deer's  life-blood,  but 
no  instance  has  been  offered.  Is  there  any  confusion  with  Lethe, 
the  name  of  one  of  the  rivers  of  the  infernal  regions? 

208.  heart.     For  the  play  upon  words  cf.  i.  2.   156,   "Now  is 
it  Rome  indeed,  and  room  enough  ",  and  note. 

209.  strucken.      For  the  form   cf.    ii.   2.    114,    "Caesar,   'tis 
strucken  eight ". 

213.  modesty,  moderation;  so  frequently. 

216.  prick'd,  marked  on  the  list.     Cf.  iv.  i.  I. 

224.  regard,  consideration;  i.e.  'our  reasons  are  so  well  weighed'. 

235.  Brutus,  as  usual,  entirely  convinced  of  the  reasonableness  of 
his  own  position,  assumes  that  he  has  only  to  state  it  clearly  to  his 
neighbours  to  convince  them  likewise;  while  he  never  doubts  that 
his  fellow  conspirators  were  swayed  by  precisely  the  same  considera- 
tions. Cassius  knows  that  there  are  other  lights  in  which  the  pro- 
ceedings may  be  looked  at 

252.  Observe  how  studiously  Antony  subsequently  keeps  to  the 
letter  of  his  engagement,  until  his  formal  funeral  address  is  over,  and 
he  has  descended  from  the  rostra. 


i  io  JULIUS   CESAR.  [Act  III.  ; 

257.  the  tide  of  times:  (i)  the  set  course  of  time  (Johnson; 
Schmidt) ;  (2)  the  waves  of  successive  generations  (Mr.  Beeching, 
apparently) ;  (3)  amid  the  ebb  and  flow  of  fortune,  with  a  thought 
of  the  sudden  reverse  which  had  befallen:  this  seems  to  me  the 
best  rendering ;  for  the  idea  cf.  iv.  3.  218,  "  There  is  a  tide  in  the 
affairs  of  men";  (4)  AV/*=time,  season;  and  the  expression  is  merely 
pleonastic.  This  is  possible,  but  not  probable. 

262.  the  limbs  of  men.  If  the  reading  be  correct,  the  obvious 
meaning  is  that  there  will  be  civil  war,  and  the  limbs  of  combatants 
(and  non-combatants,  as  in  line  267)  will  suffer.  Men  will  be  treated 
precisely  as  Caesar  has  been.  It  is  a  part  of  the  general  picture  of 
bloodshed  to  come.  But  there  is  a  certain  clumsiness  about  the 
phrase  which  we  hardly  expect  of  Antony,  and  which  has  led  commen- 
tators to  suggest  lives  (Johnson)  and  sons  (Grant- White),  which  would 
be  an  improvement ;  as  well  as  kind,  ling,  loins,  tombs,  minds — which 
would  not.  If  the  reading  is  wrong,  it  seems  more  likely  that  some 
such  phrase  as  '  the  limbs  of  Rome '  was  the  original — a  quite  familiar 
metaphor,  but  one  which  may  have  puzzled  a  printer  with  a  turn  for 
emendation. 

271.  Ate,  the  goddess  of  discord  in  general,  and  revenge  in  par- 
ticular. 

273-  Cry  "Havoc".  The  phrase  occurs  in  King  John  and  in 
Coriolanus.  It  is  equivalent  to  *  no  quarter '. 

let  slip,  the  technical  word  for  letting  greyhounds  go. 
the  dogs  of  war.     Cf.  Henry  V.  Prologue  i.  6— 

"at  his  heels, 

Leash'd  in  like  hounds,  should  famine,  sword,  and  fire 
Crouch  for  employment ". 

274.  That:  for  'so  that'. 

289.  Rome.     The  play  on  '  room '  is  suggested  again. 

Scene  2. 

The  effect  of  Antony's  speeches  in  this  scene  derives  great  addi- 
tional force  from  the  contrast  with  Brutus.  The  dignity  of  the  latter 
and  his  moral  weight  (not  his  reasoning,  which  the  mob  fail  to 
follow)  produce  their  own  effect;  but  Antony  appeals  to  the  popular 
emotions  entirely,  and  Brutus'  reliance  on  the  reasonableness  of  his 
audience  is  naturally  and  completely  falsified. 

The  student  may  find  an  attempt  to  distinguish  character  in  the 
separate  citizens  interesting. 

ii.  is  ascended.  As  in  modern  French,  'to  be 'is  often  the 
auxiliary  with  verbs  of  motion.  Cf,  ii.  4.  24,  "  Is  Caesar  yet  gone 
to  the  Capitol  ?" 


Scene  2.J  NOTES.  in 

12.  Observe  the  formal  balance  of  phrase  against  phrase  throughout 
Brutus'  speech,  as  if  it  was  constructed  according  to  the  best  rules. 
The  result  is  a  complete  absence  of  spontaneity. 

13.  lovers,  friends.     Cf.  ii.  3.  9  and  note. 

16.  censure,  estimate,  judge.  The  word  does  not,  as  with  us, 
imply  adverse  judgment.  Cf.  Sonnet  cxlviii. — 

"  O  me,  what  eyes  hath  Love  put  in  my  head, 

Which  have  no  correspondence  with  true  sight ! 

Or,  if  they  have,  where  is  my  judgment  fled, 
That  censures  falsely  what  they  see  aright? 

If  that  be  fair  whereon  my  false  eyes  dote, 
What  means  the  world,  to  say  it  is  not  so?" 

25.  to  live.  The  construction  here  is  doubtful.  Either  'so  as ' 
is  omitted  (for  which  cf.  iii.  I.  40,  "  Be  not  fond  to  think",  &c.)  or 
to  live  is  parallel  to  "and  die",  in  which  case  cf.  i.  I.  3,  note  on 
"ought  not  walk",  when  this  would  be  an  instance  of  the  omission 
and  insertion  of  to  in  the  same  sentence ;  just  as  *  that '  is  first  omitted 
and  then  inserted  in  this  sentence. 

29.  There  is  tears.  A  singular  verb  with  plural  subject  is  com- 
mon in  Shakespeare,  and  if  the  Folio  readings  are  accepted,  much 
more  so  than  the  ordinary  texts  show.  This  may  be  due  to  a  survival 
of  the  plural  inflexions  in  -eth  (S.  English)  and  -es  (N.  English),  as  Dr. 
Abbott  thinks  (Sh.  Gr.  §§  247  and  332-338).  The  instances  retained 
by  the  Globe  editors,  however,  may  usually  be  explained  (i)  as  here, 
by  the  verb  being  spoken  before  its  subject  is  decided;  (2)  by  the 
intervention  of  a  singular  word  between  verb  and  subject ;  (3)  by  the 
subject  being  a  relative  whose  precise  antecedent  is  forgotten  ;  (4)  by 
the  plural  subject  conveying  a  single  idea,  and  being  equivalent  to  a 
noun  of  multitude — &c.  &c.  But  that  usage  was  exceedingly  loose 
in  the  matter  may  be  shown  by  indubitable  examples  outside  of 
Shakespeare  to  which  no  such  '  explanations '  apply. 

33.  rude,  unpolished. 
42.  enrolled,  recorded. 

47.  in  the  commonwealth,  restored  to  existence  by  the  death 
of  Csesar.  While  he  lived,  no  one  had  '  a  place  in  the  common- 
wealth' ;  all  were  merely  Caesar's  bondmen — in  the  phrase  of  Cassius. 

56.  This  is  an  interesting  commentary  on  the  mob's  capacity  for 
reasoning. 

66.  spoke.     For  the  form  cf.  i.  2.  48,  note  on  "mistook". 

70.  beholding.  This  form  for  '  beholden '  is  almost  universal  in 
the  Folios. 

78-257.  Antony's  speeches  cannot  be  too  carefully  studied.  To 
begin  with,  the  mob  whom  he  is  addressing  are  all  in  favour  of 


112  JULIUS   CESAR.  [Act  III. 

Brutus — frothing  against  him  would  have  a  hearing.  It  is  by  appeal- 
ing to  their  old  affection  for  Caesar,  while  studiously  expressing,  by 
tones  as  well  as  words,  admiration  for  the  hero  of  the  moment,  that 
Antony  brings  them  into  sympathy  with  himself.  Not  till  this  is 
accomplished,  and  he  feels  that  he  has  his  hearers  thoroughly  in  hand, 
does  he  give  the  ironical  turn  to  his  complimentary  phrases  (at  line 
129).  At  that  point  the  mask  is  dropped,  but  the  words  are  still  in 
literal  accord  with  his  compact  with  Brutus  (iii.  I.  251).  When  he 
descends  from  the  rostra,  his  part  in  the  "  order  of  the  funeral"  is  over, 
and  there  is  no  pretence  of  his  words  being  favourable  to  the  con- 
spirators ;  the  complimentary  phrases  are  merely  fuel  added  to  the 
flames.  But  from  first  to  last  it  is  passionate  emotions  to  which  he 
appeals ;  not  as  an  academic  debater  like  Brutus,  but  as  an  orator  who 
seeks  not  to  convince  but  to  excite. 

"Afterwards,  when  Caesar's  body  was  brought  into  the  market 
place,  Antonius  making  his  funeral  oration  in  praise  of  the  dead, 
and  perceiving  that  his  words  moved  the  common  people  to  com- 
passion, he  framed  his  eloquence  to  make  their  hearts  yearn  the 
more;  and  taking  Caesar's  gown  all  bloody  in  his  hand,  he  laid  it 
open  to  the  sight  of  them  all,  showing  what  a  number  of  cuts  and 
holes  it  had  upon  it."  (North's  Plutarch.} 

100.  on  the  Lupercal,  i.e.  at  the  festival  of  the  Lupercal  (cf.  i. 
I.  72).  It  has  been  curiously  supposed  that  Shakespeare  thought 
the  Lupercal  was  a  hill,  from  this  passage.  But  the  earlier  passage 
seems  decisive. 

108.  withholds  you ...  to  mourn :  for  'from  mourning ' — infinitive 
for  gerund.     Cf.  ii.  I.  135,  and  note  on  "to  think". 

109.  This  sentence  is  a  test  of  the  extent  to  which  the  audience 
are  secured. 

113.  The  citizens  hardly  seem  to  be  conscious  of  any  change  of 
front  on  their  own  part. 

115.  Has  he,  masters?  The  scansion  is  awkward,  though  it 
might  be  paralleled.  But  it  is  not  easy  to  see  the  point  of  the 
phrase.  It  reads  as  if  questioning  Antony's  position — a  sense  con- 
tradicted by  the  next  line,  especially  when  compared  with  121. 
Either  'that  has  he'  or  'has  he  not'  would  satisfy  both  the  sense 
and  the  scansion ;  nor  would  such  a  printer's  error  be  difficult,  while 
'  Ay  has  he '  (written  '  I ')  would  make  a  printer's  error  easier  still. 
See  Appendix  A,  §  7  (v).  Pope  proposed  to  insert — by  way  of  ex- 
plaining Ben  Jonson's  quotation,  which  others  place  at  iii.  I.  47 
(where  see  note) — in  the  mouth  of  3rd  Cit.,  "Caesar  had  never 
wrong,  but  with  just  cause  ". 

1 19.  abide  it,  pay  for  it.  See  Glossary,  and  note  on  iii.  I.  94, 
"let  no  man  abide  this  deed,  but  we  the  doers". 

125.  so  poor  to  do:  'as'  omitted.  Cf.  iii.  I.  39,  "Be  not  fond 
to  think". 


Scene  2.]  NOTES.  113 

138.  dip  their  napkins.     Cf.  ii.  2.  89,  note. 

147.  Compare  the  very  contradictory  remark  addressed  to  the 
same  populace,  i.  I.  40. 

148,  149.  hearing  the  will  of  Caesar,  It  will... This  duplicated 
subject,  one  being  a  clause,  is  the  complement  of  the  duplicated  object 
in  such  a  phrase  as  '  I  know  thee  who  thou  art '.     Neither  is  rare. 

154.  to  tell  you,  in  telling  you.    Cf.  line  108,  and  ii.  I.  135,  note. 
171.  far  off,  i.e.  farther. 

178-201.  Antony  had  been  carefully  drawn  aside,  and  was  not 
present  at  the  scene  of  assassination.  His  whole  description  is 
imaginary.  Observe  that  in  this  speech  "envious",  "cruel",  "  bloody", 
and  "  traitors"  are  no  longer  repressed.  This  is  not  "in  the  order  of 
the  funeral ". 

177.  the  Nervii.  Antony  refers  to  a  battle  in  the  Gallic  wars 
in  which  Caesar  and  his  army  had  a  narrow  escape  from  annihila- 
tion, but  finally  by  conspicuous  and  desperate  courage  achieved  a 
brilliant  victory.  Hence  the  peculiar  art  in  reminding  the  populace 
of  it  at  the  moment.  The  Belgae  were  the  most  warlike  of  the 
Gauls,  and  the  Nervii  were  the  best  of  the  Belgae. 

183.  resolved,  satisfied  ;  so  frequently. 

185.  This  close  friendship  of  Caesar  and  Brutus  has  no  authority. 
It  is  doubtless  the  result  of  a  confusion  between  M.  Brutus  and 
Decimus  Brutus  (cf.  note  on  ii.  I.  203).  M.  Brutus  had  been  a 
Pompeian,  and  was  received  into  grace  by  Caesar,  but  not  as  an 
intimate. 

angel,  attendant  guardian  spirit;  like  "genius",  ii.  1.66. 

187.  the  most  unkindest.  Cf.  "The  most  boldest  and  best 
hearts  of  Rome",  iii.  I.  121,  and  note. 

198.  dint,  stroke.     See  Glossary. 

199.  what,  weep  you.     The  Folio  reading  what  weep  you  is  very 
likely  right  (cf.  "What  need  we  any  further  witness?"  and  note  at 
ii.  i.  123,  "  What  need  we  any  spur?").     The  change  is  Pope's. 

225.  wit,  Second  Fol.;  writ.  First  Fol.  Johnson  and  Malone  defend 
the  latter  in  the  sense  of  'written  speech'.  Malone  says  that  '  I  have 
no  wit '  would  mean  '  I  have  no  intelligence ' — a  literal  interpretation 
which  would  make  '  I  have  no  words '  mean  *  I  am  dumb '.  And  it 
is  at  best  doubtful  whether  '  writ '  could  mean  *  written  speech '. 

247.  drachmas.  The  amount  of  75  drachmas  is  given  by  Plu- 
tarch. The  actual  value  it  is  not  possible  to  compute,  because 
(i)  the  comparative  purchasing  power  of  a  given  weight  of  silver  in 
Rome  as  against  the  present  day  cannot  be  stated;  (2)  drachma  is  a 
Greek  term,  and  the  drachmae  of  different  Greek  states  had  different 
values.  Speaking  roughly,  however,  the  drachma  was  likely  to  be 
(881)  H 


114  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  IV. 

about  half  of  the  Roman  denarius,  or  coin  worth  ten  'asses',  and 
the  '  as '  was  worth  about  I  Ib.  weight  of  copper.  In  later  times, 
however,  the  *  denarius '  and  '  drachma '  were  treated  as  about  equi- 
valent, being  worth  about  as  much  as  a  '  franc ',  i.e.  §\d.  Plutarch's 
'  drachma '  was  probably  given  as  equivalent  to  '  denarius '  (as  by 
Pliny). 

254.  On  this  side  Tiber.  Shakespeare  follows  North's  mis- 
translation. The  gardens  in  Plutarch  were  transtiburtine;  in  North, 
"  He  bequeathed  unto  every  citizen  of  Rome  seventy-five  drachmas 
a  man,  and  he  left  his  arbours  and  gardens  unto  the  people,  which 
he  had  on  this  side  of  the  river  Tiber". 

271.  upon  a  wish,  pat  to  my  wish;  like  "upon  the  word", 
i.  2.  104. 

274.  rid,  an  instance  of  the  inclination  to  drop  the  inflexional 
~en,  though  '  rode '  would  accord  better  with  the  ordinary  analogy 
(i.  2.  48,  note).     But  cf.  "writ"  for  'written',  iv.  3.  183. 

275.  notice  of  the  people,   How,  relative  clause,  amplifying 
the  noun,  as  in  "I  know  thee  who  thou  art". 

Scene  3. 

Taken  from  Plutarch,  "There  was  a  poet  called  China...  and 
because  some  called  him  by  his  name  Cinna,  the  people  thinking  he 
had  been  that  Cinna  who  in  an  oration  he  made  had  spoken  very  evil 
of  Caesar,  they  falling  upon  him  in  their  rage,  slew  him  outright  in 
the  market-place". 

2.  unluckily,  ominously.  There  is  no  precise  parallel,  but  I 
doubt  if  there  is  sufficient  ground  for  changing  the  text,  as  proposed 
by  Warburton,  to  unlucky. 

13.  you  were  best,  it  were  best  for  you.  Properly,  an  imper- 
sonal construction,  you  being  dative.  This  being  misunderstood, 
the  erroneous  personal  construction,  '  I  were  best ',  instead  of  '  me 
were  best ',  came  into  general  adoption.  Cf.  '  if  you  please ',  which 
was  originally ±:  'if  it  please  you',  Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §§230,  352. 

20.  you  '11  bear  me  a  bang.  The  ethic  dative  =  '  on  my  behalf ', 
like  "plucked  me  ope  his  doublet"  (i.  2.  267).  Dr.  Abbott,  how- 
ever, seems  to  differentiate.  (Sh.  Gr.  §  220.) 


Act  IV.— Scene  I. 

In  Rome.  That  this  was  intended  is  proved  by  line  II.  Plutarch, 
however,  in  the  '  life  of  Antony '  says  the  triumvirs  met  "  in  an  iland 
environed  round  about  with  a  little  river";  specified  in  the  'life  of 
Cicero  'as  "by  the  city  of  Bolonia".  "  Some  say  that  Caesar  stucke 
hard  with  Cicero  the  first  two  daies,  but  at  the  third  that  he  yealded 
and  forsooke  him.  The  exchange  they  agreed  upon  betweene  them 


Scene  2.]  NOTES.  115 

was  this.     Caesar  forsooke  Cicero:  Lepidus  his  own  brother  Paulus; 
and  Antonius  Lucius  Caesar  his  uncle  by  the  mother's  side." 

4.  Publius,  evidently  a  slip  for  Lucius.  Shakespeare  has,  more- 
over, inverted  the  relationships.  See  note  above. 

6.  damn,  condemn.  Cf.  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  i.  I.  24,  "  Per- 
form 't,  or  else  we  damn  thee". 

9.  charge,  expense. 

11.  Or... or,  either... or.  There  are  some  peculiarities  in  these  two 
last  acts;  a  recurrence  of  this  form;  a  frequent  use  of  Cassius  as  a 
trisyllable;  &c. 

12.  slight,  worthless.     In  iv  3.  37  Brutus  seems  to  use  the  term 
rather  of  Cassius*  physical  proportions. 

unmeritable,  '  undeserving '  instead  of  '  undeserved '.  For  the 
passive  form  with  active  meaning,  cf.  ii.  I.  134,  note  on  "insuppres- 
sive  ". 

23.  Either,  slurred  and  pronounced  as  a  monosyllable,  like 
'whether'  and  'whither*  several  times.  Cf.  i.  I.  66,  note. 

26.  empty,  unladen. 

27.  In  Antony  and  Cleopatra  (iii.  6.  32)  it  is  Octavius  who  acts 
on  the  suggestion  which  Antony  makes  here,  but  on  the  ground 
that  Lepidus  was  "  grown  too  cruel ". 

32.  wind,  turn.  Cf.  in  the  active  sense  /  Henry  IV.  iv.  I.  109, 
"To  turn  and  wind  a  fiery  Pegasus  ". 

directly  on,  straight  forward. 

34.  in  some  taste,  in  some  sort;  as  we  might  say,  'he  has  a 
touch  or  taste  of  resemblance '. 

37.  abjects,  orts.  Staunton's  conjecture  for  objects,  arts,  of  the 
Ff.,  which  can  hardly  be  retained.  Abjects  and  orts  are '  cast-off  scraps'. 

40.  a  property,  i.e.  a  chattel  or  tool,  not  a  responsible  person. 

41.  Listen  great  things.      For  listen  used  transitively  =  hear, 
cf.  v.  5.  15,  "List  a  word". 

44.  Scansion  and  sense  show  that  this  line  is  corrupt.  There  is 
no  emendation  which  is  at  all  convincing.  '  Our  best  friends  made 
secure,  our  means  stretched  out '  would  be  fairly  satisfactory. 

46.  disclosed,  discovered;  not  'published',  as  in  modern  use. 

48.  at  the  stake.     Metaphor  from  bear-baiting. 

49.  bay'd  about.     Cf.  iii.  I.  204,  "  Here  wast  thou  bay'd,  brave 
hart". 

Scene  2. 

The  whole  account  of  the  dissension  at  Sardis  is  taken  with  very 
little  change  from  Plutarch. 


Ii6  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  IV. 

Enter  Brutus,  Lucilius,  dr3^.  Apparently  Lucilius  and  Titinius 
should  change  places,  as  it  is  Lucilius  who  has  come  from  Cassius. 

2.  As  Titinius  should  be  with  Brutus,  it  is  probably  he  who  should 
give  the  word  of  command,  not  Lucilius. 

6.  He  greets  me  well.     A  formal  acknowledgment  of  the  salu- 
tation; the  precise  meaning  of  well  in  the  context  is  unimportant. 
Probably  it  is  intentionally  vague. 

7.  In  his  own   change,  because  of  some  change  in  himself. 
However,  it  is  doubtful  whether  Brutus  would  have  made  such  a 
suggestion  to  Pindarus,  and  perhaps  we  should  read  'charge';  i.e. 
1  by  orders  which  he  has  issued  himself,  or  by  the  misconduct  of 
subordinates'. 

10.  be  satisfied,  have  a  sufficient  explanation. 

16.  familiar  instances,  marks  of  familiarity.  Cf.  i.  2.  9,  "sterile 
curse  "  =  *  curse  of  sterility '. 

23.  hot  at  hand,  i.e.  in  hand,  when  held  in. 

26.  fall,  let  fall,  lower.  So  Troilus  and  Cressida,  i.  3.  379,  of 
Achilles,  "make  him  fall  his  crest ". 

41.  be  content,  be  quiet.     Cf.  Measure  for  Measure,  ii.  2.  79 — 

"Be  you  content,  fair  maid; 
It  is  the  law,  not  I,  condemn  your  brother  ". 

46.  enlarge.     We  should  rather  say  '  enlarge  upon '. 

50.  According  to  the  text,  Lucilius,  an  officer,  and  Pindarus,  a 
servant,  are  sent  to  give  orders  to  the  troops;  and  Titinius,  an 
officer,  and  Lucius,  a  servant,  are  told  off  to  guard  the  doors.  We 
should  naturally  be  inclined  to  exchange  the  duties  of  Titinius  and 
Pindarus:  but  (i)  the  scansion  does  not  favour  the  change;  (2)  the 
scansion  does  favour  exchanging  Lucilius  and  Lucius  (reading  *  Luci- 
lius' for  let  Lucius  \  cf.  note  on  sc.  3.  126);  (3)  a  slip  in  writing  or 
printing  the  names  of  Lucius  and  Lucilius  is  comparatively  easy; 
(4)  Titinius  is  under  Brutus,  not  Cassius;  Pindarus  is  the  latter' s 
servant,  and  would  naturally  be  sent  to  give  a  message  to  the  com- 
manders; and  Lucius  might  similarly  be  sent  with  orders  to  officers; 
not  of  course  to  give  an  order  to  the  troops.  But  perhaps  it  would 
hardly  be  justifiable  to  alter  the  text. 

Scene  3. 

"  Before  they  fell  in  hand  with  any  other  matter,  they  went  into 
a  little  chamber  together,  and  bade  every  man  avoid,  and  did  shut 
the  doors  to  them.  Then  they  began  to  pour  out  their  complaints 
one  to  the  other,  and  grew  hot  and  loud,  earnestly  assuring  one 
another,  and  at  length  both  fell  a- weeping."  (Norths  Plutarch.} 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  117 

2.  noted,  stigmatized ;  not  so  used  elsewhere ;  but  it  is  the  sense  of 
the  Latin  notare.  Shakespeare,  however,  took  the  word  here  straight 
out  of  North,  "The  next  day  after,  Brutus,  upon  complaint  of  the 
Sardians,  did  condemn  and  note  Lucius  Pella  for  a  defamed  person  ". 
The  first  26  lines  of  this  scene  are  taken  direct  from  Plutarch,  only 
at  once  condensed  and  glorified. 

8.  nice,  trivial.     See  Glossary. 

10.  to  have,  for  having,  infin.  for  gerund.     Cf.  ii.  I.  135,  note. 

11.  mart :  rarely  used  as  a  verb  by  Shakespeare ;  and  never  by  us, 
though  we  so  use  *  market ',  which  is  exactly  analogous. 

13.  speak.  Ff.  speaks ;  but  the  Folio  printers  favoured  this  par- 
ticular kind  of  misprint  (cf.  note  on  iii.  2.  29) ;  and  both  grammar 
and  euphony  are  better  served  by  Pope's  correction. 

16.  chastisement.  In  the  following  lines  Brutus  seems  dis- 
tinctly to  be  expressing  contempt  for  Cassius'  physical  capacities  ;  a 
fact  which  recalls  the  bitter  way  in  which  Cassius  held  up  the 
infirmities  of  Caesar  to  scorn — i.  2.  98  and  following  lines. 

18.  The  argument  is,  '  if  for  the  sake  of  justice  we  did  such  a 
deed,  how  can  we  use  the  result  to  deal  unjustly  for  our  own 
profit?' 

25.  the  mighty  space,  &c.,  *  our  honours,  which  are  so  vast  a 
possession ',  contrasted  with  the  mere  handful  of  gold. 

27.  bay,  'bark  at',  not  *  bring  to  bay'  as  before,  iii.  I.  204. 

28.  bay.     Ff.  bait.    The  emendation  is  Theobald's,  and  is  a  too 
obvious  improvement  to  be  rejected. 

30-40.  "Brutus  most  commonly  went  first  unto  him  [Cassius], 
both  because  he  was  the  elder  man,  as  also  for  that  he  was  sickly 
of  body.  And  men  reputed  him  commonly  to  be  very  skilful  in 
wars,  but  otherwise  marvellous  choleric."  (North's  Plutarch.} 

37.  slight  man.     Cf.  note  above,  and  iv.  I.  12. 
36.  your  health,  your  well-being. 

47.  spleen.  We  still  talk  of  spleen  metaphorically  as  the  seat 
of  angry  emotion;  in  the  old  writers  it  was  regarded  as  the  seat 
of  emotion  generally. 

55  foil.  Cassius  is  making  a  desperate  effort  to  govern  his  temper, 
not  from  fear,  for  he  never  shows  any  sign  of  cowardiee,  but  because 
of  his  personal  affection  for  Brutus.  This  is  another  example  of  the 
immense  extent  to  which  Cassius  is  swayed  by  purely  personal  feel- 
ing; as  shown  in  the  whole  tone  of  his  attack  on  Caesar  in  i.  2. 

72,  73.  I  had  rather  coin..,  than  to  wring.  To  omitted  and 
then  inserted  in  the  same  sentence.  Cf.  note  on  i.  I.  3,  "ought 
not  walk". 


i8  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  IV. 

75.  indirection,  crooked  course.  '  Indirect ',  like  '  crooked ', 
is  often  used  with  an  implication  of  '  dishonourable '. 

80.  rascal.  Properly,  a  technical  term  for  a  deer  out  of  condi- 
tion ;  so  applied  as  a  substantive  or  adjective  of  reproach. 

6g  foil.  The  reference  is  probably  to  an  appeal  Brutus  made  to 
Cassius  for  money,  "whereof  C.  had  great  store",  when  "Cassius' 
friends  hindered  this  request  and  earnestly  dissuaded  him.  ...This  not- 
withstanding, Cassius  gave  him  the  third  part  of  this  total  sum". 
(North's  Plutarch.} 

85.  rived.  The  form  '  riven '  is  now  always  used.  But  cf.  i.  3. 
6,  note. 

96.  his  brother.  Cf.  ii.  I.  70,  "Sir,  't  is  your  brother  Cassius ", 
and  note. 

102.  Dearer,  worth  more. 
Plutus,  the  god  of  wealth. 

108.  it  shall,  i.e.  your  anger. 

109.  shall  be  humour,  shall  be  reckoned  as  distempered  humour. 

124.  Poet.  "One  Marcus  Phaonius,  that  had  been  a  friend  and 
follower  of  Cato  while  he  lived,  and  took  upon  him  to  counterfeit  a 
philosopher,  not  with  wisdom  and  discretion,  but  with  a  certain 
bedlam  and  frantic  motion ;  he  would  needs  come  into  the  chamber." 
(North's  Plutarch.) 

126.  Lucil.  So  the  First  Folio ;  which  is  in  favour  of  the  altera- 
tion suggested  in  sc.  2.  50  and  52,  note,  making  Lucilius  guard 
the  door. 

131.    "This  Phaonius... came  into  the  chamber,  and  with  a  certain 
scoffing  and  mocking  gesture,  which  he  counterfeited  of  purpose,  he 
rehearsed  the  verses  which  old  Nestor  said  in  Homer — 
*  My  lords  I  pray  you  hearken  both  to  me, 
For  I  have  seen  mo  years  than  suchie  three'. 

Cassius  fell  a-laughing  at  him,  but  Brutus  thrust  him  out  of  the 
chamber,  and  called  him  dog,  and  counterfeit  Cynic.  Howbeit  his 
coming  in  brake  their  strife  at  that  time."  (Norths  Plutarch.} 

133.  cynic,  the  term  used  in  North,  referring  to  the  school  of 
philosophy  so  called. 

137.  jigging,  rhyming.  "A  jig  signified  in  our  author's  time  a 
metrical  composition  as  well  as  a  dance."  (Malone.) 

155.  That  tidings.  In  Shakespeare  tidings  is  treated  as  a  sin- 
gular word  as  often  as  plural. 

155.  distract,  distracted.  With  many  verbs  ending  in  -t  or  -te, 
especially  of  Latin  derivation,  the  terminal  -ed  of  the  participle  was 
dropped.  Cf.  "incorporate",  i.  3.  135.  (See  Abbott,  Sh.  Gr.  §  342.) 
'Acquit',  'contract',  'degenerate',  'infect',  &c.  &c.,  are  thus  found 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  119 

156.  swallow'd  fire.  Plutarch  describes  her  as  having  taken 
"hot  burning  coals  and  cast  them  into  her  mouth,  and  kept  her 
mouth  so  close  that  she  choked  herself". 

165.  call  in  question,  bring  forward  for  discussion. 

177.  seventy:   " two  hundred"  in  Plutarch. 

183.  Nor  nothing:  the  double  negative,  as  often. 

writ.     For  this  form  of  the  past  participle  cf.  note  on  "rid", 
iii.  2.  273. 

190.  Brutus'  reason  for  making  this  display  of  self-control,  and 
oret ending  that  the  news  of  Portia's  death  was  perfectly  fresh  to 
him,  is  obscure. 

191.  once,  some  time  or  other;  so  2  Henry  IV.  v.  3.  64,  "  I  hope 
to  see  London  once  ere  I  die". 

194,  195.  'I  have  learnt  as  well  as  you  how  it  should  be 
done,  but  I  lack  the  natural  strength  to  carry  my  knowledge  into 
practice  as  you  do.*  Imperturbability  was  aimed  at  by  the  Epi- 
cureans (as  Cassius  was)  as  much  as  by  Stoics  (like  Brutus). 

196.  our  work  alive,  i.t.  which  has  to  do  with  the  living. 

209.  new-added,  newly  added  to. 

220.  Omitted,  neglected. 

224.  ventures,  vessels  of  merchandise,  or  merchandise  on  board 
ship.  The  word  occurs  continually  in  this  sense  in  the  Merchant  of 
Venice. 

228.  niggard,  treat  in  a  niggardly  manner.  There  is  no  parallel 
to  this  use  of  the  word. 

231.  farewell.  Either  the  line  is  too  much  broken  with  pauses 
for  scansion  to  be  observed,  or  farewell  is  a  trisyllable.  See  Ap- 
pendix A,  §  6  (viii). 

237.     For  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  6  (vi). 

241.  knave,  boy,  servant.     The  sinister  meaning  grew  into  it, 
just  as  'valet'  became  'varlet'.     See  Glossary, 
o'erwatched,  worn  out  with  watching. 

247.  raise,  rouse. 

250.  Note  the  characteristic  consideration  for  his  neighbours 
which  marks  Brutus,  and  is  especially  displayed  in  this  scene  as  a 
preliminary  to  the  ghostly  reminder  that  Caesar's  blood  was  on  his 
hands. 

252.  book,  an  anachronism,  as  Shakespeare  was  thinking  of  a 
book  in  the  modern  shape  instead  of  in  rolls. 

255.  much  forgetful.  Much  for  'very'  is  common,  e.g.  2  Henry 
IV.  4.  iv.  II,  "  Now  I  am  much  ill". 


120  JULIUS   CESAR.  [Act  IV. 

268.  mace.  The  epithet  murderous  above  (266)  seems  to  imply 
that  the  mace  is  a  weapon ;  but  it  is  used  for  sceptre,  Henry  V.  iv.  I. 
278,  "  The  sword,  the  mace,  the  crown  imperial ".  The  two  theories 
would  be  harmonized  by  taking  it  as  a  '  magic  wand'. 

270.  so  much  wrong  to.  For  omission  of  *  as ',  cf.  note  on 
iii.  I.  39- 

274.  Ghost  of  Casar.  The  story  of  the  vision  is  based  on  Plutarch, 
but  there  no  suggestion  is  made  that  the  spirit  which  appeared 
was  that  of  Caesar.  There  it  is  "a  horrible  vision  of  a  man,  of 
a  wonderful  greatness  and  dreadful  look",  "a  wonderful  strange 
and  monstrous  shape  of  a  body",  which  on  being  interrogated  said, 
"  I  am  thy  ill  angel,  Brutus.  Thou  shalt  see  me  by  the  city  of 
Philippes  ".  It  would  be  an  interesting  question  for  the  curious,  to 
settle  why  Shakespeare  should  have  identified  this  "ill  angel"  with 
.  the  shade  of  Caesar.  Brutus  does  not  seem  to  do  so  here,  but  at 
v.  5'  1 8  he  clearly  does.  But  one  may  note  for  comparison  that  the 
shades  of  their  victims  appear  to  various  Shakespearian  characters, 
but  not  spirits  (except  the  peculiar  spirits  of  The  Tempest}  pure  and 
simple.  I  should  suggest  as  a  plausible,  but  by  no  means  conclusive 
hypothesis,  that  the  appearance  of  a  'ghost'  under  such  circum- 
stances is  natural,  simply  because  it  can  be  rationalized  as  a  phantom 
of  the  imagination ;  but  a  spirit  not  identified  with  an  individual  is 
less  easily  conjured  up.  Shakespeare  accepted  the  story  of  the 
vision;  but  as  he  was  dealing  with  history  and  not  fairyland,  he 
added  the  slight  modification  which  removed  it  from  the  sphere  of 
the  incredible.  On  the  other  hand,  the  feeling  that  Caesar's  ghost 
would  produce  a  better  stage  effect  than  an  indefinite  Evil  Angel 
would  have  been  quite  enough  to  justify  the  modification.  Also 
the  intention  may  have  been  to  suggest  that  though  Caesar  was  slain, 
Caesarism  was  not  buried  with  his  body.  Cf.  the  discussion  of 
Caesar's  character  in  the  Introduction. — Otherwise  the  narrative  is 
given  just  as  it  is  in  Plutarch. 

280.  stare,  grow  stiff.  Cf.  The  Tempest,  i.  2.  213,  "with  hair 
up-staring  ".  See  Glossary. 

285,  287.  shall... will.  There  seems  to  be  a  difference — the  shall 
implying  necessity,  '  I  must  see  thee ',  the  will  volition,  '  I  am  willing 
to  see  thee '. 

Observe  throughout  how  Cassius  is  the  moving  spirit  in  his  deal- 
ings with  Brutus,  yet  when  it  comes  to  a  difference  of  opinion  Cassius 
always  gives  way.  The  chief  instances  are  as  to  bringing  Cicero 
into  the  conspiracy,  as  to  killing  Antony  as  well  as  Caesar,  as  to 
allowing  Antony  free  speech,  and,  in  this  scene,  as  to  the  course  to 
be  taken  in  the  war. 


Scene  i.]  NOTES.  121 

Act  V. 

The  whole  of  act  iv.  was  occupied  merely  with  preparations  for 
the  final  contest,  and  has  little  effect  on  the  action  of  the  piece ;  the 
interest  turns  in  it  entirely  on  the  special  developments  of  character 
in  the  quarrel  and  reconciliation  of  Brutus  and  Cassius,  and  on  the  epi- 
sode of  Caesar's  ghost,  which  is  effective  as  impressing  the  audience 
with  the  sense  of  doom,  but  does  not  directly  influence  the  results. 
Act  v.  brings  the  opponents  into  immediate  contact,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  play  is  crowded  with  action. 

Scene  I. 

Antony  and  Octavius  are  never  in  real  harmony.  The  scenes  in 
which  they  take  part  as  associates  are  strongly  suggestive  of  a  sequel, 
which  Shakespeare  in  fact  gave  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  Antony  was  at  this  time  some  forty  years  of  age, 
and  Octavius  only  twenty.  But  Octavius  acts  not  with  the  swagger 
of  a  boy  who  fancies  himself  a  man,  but  with  the  perfect  self-posses- 
sion and  confidence  of  middle  age;  he  is  in  fact  preternaturally 
middle-aged;  there  is  a  kind  of  relentless  and  irresistible  force 
about  him  which  materially  influences  the  feeling  that  he  is,  as  it 
were,  an  incarnate  Fate.  Antony  himself  cannot  stand  against  him. 

4.  battles:   used  where   we  should  employ  the  kindred  word 
'battalions'.     Battle  for  an  army  is  frequent;  used  for  a  division  of 
an  army,  cf.  Macbeth,  v.  6.  4,  "Lead  our  first  battle".     See  also 
v.  3.  108. 

5.  warn  us,  summon  us.     Cf.  Richard  III.  i.  3.  39,  "sent  to 
warn  them  to  his  royal  presence  ". 

7.  in  their  bosoms,  in  their  confidence.  Octavius  claims  to 
have  been  right  in  his  expectation,  while  Antony  was  wrong. 
Antony  replies  that  on  the  vital  point — that  the  enemy  had  no  real 
confidence,  and  were  relying  merely  on  brag — he  was  in  fact  correct. 

10.  fearful  bravery,  real  fear  and  assumed  bravery.  The  rest  of 
the  passage  bears  out  this  interpretation;  but  Mr.  Aldis  Wright  takes 
it  as  *  fear-inspiring  display',  and  is  supported  by  line  13,  as  well  as 
by  the  language  of  Norttis  Plutarch,  "for  bravery  and  rich  furniture 
Brutus'  army  far  excelled  Caesar's".  This  sense  of  'brave*  and 
'bravery*  is,  of  course,  common;  but  the  collocation  of  'fearful*  points 
to  an  intended  contrast  between  the  two  words,  and  the  context 
distinctly  favours  the  other  view. 

18.  the  right  hand.  In  fact,  Octavius  led  the  left  wing. 
Shakespeare  inserts  this  gratuitously  to  develop  his  treatment  of 
the  character  of  the  two  generals.  As  Brutus  was  opposed  to 
Octavius  in  the  battle,  the  dramatist  gives  Brutus  the  left  wing 
instead  of  the  right;  having  already  made  the  deference  of  Cassius 
to  Brutus  sufficiently  marked. 


122  JULIUS  CAESAR.  [Act  V. 

ig.  exigent,  strait,  exigency.  So  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  iv. 
14.  62— 

"Thou  art  sworn,  Eros, 
That,  when  the  exigent  should  come... 
Then  thou  would'st  kill  me  ". 

20.  Octavius  does  not  wrangle,  but  he  takes  his  own  way. 

24.  answer,  &c.,  'when  they  make  the  attack,  we  will  meet 
it',  i.e.  'let  them  commence  the  battle'. 

33.  the  posture   of  your  blows,  where  you  will  succeed  in 
planting  your  blows. 

are.  Plural  verb  with  singular  subject.  Not  so  common  as  the 
singular  verb  with  plural  subject,  but  due  here  to  an  explanation  of 
the  same  type  as  in  many  of  the  converse  examples — the  intervention 
of  a  plural  word,  thought  0fa.s  the  subject,  between  the  grammatical 
subject  and  the  verb. 

34.  Hybla,  in  Sicily.     Classical  authors  refer  to  the  honey  of 
Hybla,  cf.  Vergil,  Bucolics,  i.  54,  "  Hyblaeis  apibus  florem  depasta 
salicti"  ("whose  willow-bloom  is  sipped  by  Hybla' s  bees");  and 
Shakespeare  does  so,   i  Henry  IV.  i.   2.  47,    "As  the  honey  of 
Hybla,  my  old  lad  of  the  castle  ". 

35.  Not  stingless  too  ?     The  note  of  interrogation  is  the  sug- 
gestion of  Delius.     Antony  means  that  his  words  may  be  sweet,  but 
they  carry  their  sting.     The  Globe  text  retains  the  Folio  reading 
without  the  (?),  which  seems  to  make  the  remark  *  stingless'. 

41.  This  description  accords  with  Plutarch,  but  is  imaginative  on 
Antony's  part,  as  he  was  not  present. 

like  hounds.  The  words  have  a  reminiscence  of  "not  hew 
him  like  a  carcass  fit  for  hounds";  cf.  ii.  i.  174,  note,  and  Antony's 
words,  iii.  I.  204  and  following  lines. 

44.  For  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  5  (v). 

60.  honourable:  adj.  for  adv.      Cf.  "horrible  steep",  Lear,  iv. 
6.  3.     For  the  scansion  see  Appendix  A,  §  7  (vi). 

61.  worthless,  unworthy. 

66.  stomachs,  courage,  as  in  2  Henry  IV.  i  i.  127,  "The  bloody 
Douglas  . . .  Gan  vail  his  stomach ".  An  extension  of  the  use  of 
stomach  meaning  ( appetite ',  and  so  *  appetite  for  fighting '. 

71.  This  speech  is  taken  from  Plutarch:  "Messala,  I  protest 
unto  thee  and  make  thee  my  witness,  that  I  am  compelled  against 
my  mind  and  will  (as  Pompey  the  Great  was)  to  jeopard  the  liberty 
of  our  country  to  the  hazard  of  a  battle".  The  references  to  the  story 
of  the  eagles,  and  to  Cassius  having  touches  of  superstition  in  spite  of 
his  Epicurean  beliefs,  are  also  from  Plutarch. 


Scene  3.]  NOTES.  123 

77.  Epicurus.  The  two  schools  of  philosophy  derived  from 
Plato,  which  more  or  less  divided  the  Roman  world  in  such  matters, 
were  those  of  Epicurus  and  of  the  Stoics.  Cassius  is  said  to  have 
followed  the  Epicurean  school,  according  to  which  the  gods  troubled 
themselves  very  little  with  mortal  affairs.  The  supernatural  element 
in  human  things  being  thus  practically  denied,  omens  arid  prodigies 
were  regarded  as  mere  superstitions.  Cassius,  however,  finds  his 
natural  superstition  getting  the  better  of  his  rationalistic  theories. 

80.  former:  "foremost"  in  North.  There  is  no  other  example  in 
Shakespeare  of  former  used  si  place  instead  of  time.  Spenser,  Faerie 
Queene,  has  "  her  face  and  former  parts  "  (vi.  6.  10). 

83.  consorted,  accompanied.  We  should  say  'consort  with'. 
88.  fatal :  not  'causing  death',  but ' portentous ';  so  frequently. 
96.  incertain,  uncertain.  The  form  occurs  several  times. 

101-108.  "  I  trust  (I  know  not  how)  a  certain  rule  of  philosophy, 
by  the  which  I  did  greatly  blame  and  reprove  Cato  for  killing 
himself... but  being  now  in  the  midst  of  the  danger,  I  am  of  a  contrary 
mind."  (North's  Plutarch. )  The  sentiment  as  expressed  in  the  quota- 
tion is  easy  enough  to  follow;  but  here  (i)  Brutus  appears,  by  some 
means  not  easy  to  perceive,  to  have  reconciled  his  idea  of  the  un- 
justifi ability  of  Cato's  suicide  with  the  justification  of  his  own ;  (2)  or 
else,  while  North,  though  he  mistranslates  Plutarch,  gives  the  words 
as  expressing  a  change  of  mind,  produced  by  the  circumstances  (the 
translation  should  begin  '  I  constructed  a  philosophical  oration  \  which 
makes  the  position  more  naturally  the  outcome  of  a  more  general  ex- 
perience), Shakespeare  follows  him,  but  goes  farther,  making  Brutus 
change  his  mind  suddenly  only  when  Cassius  suggests  his  being 
led  in  a  triumph. 

The  construction  of  the  sentence  is  clear  from  the  passage  quoted: 
"I  know  not  how,  but"  is  in  parenthesis,  and  "arming"  —  '  and  arm*. 

105.  so,  like  Cato. 

to  prevent,  &c.,  to  anticipate  the  period  or  limit  of  life. 
107.  stay,  await ;  so  very  frequently. 

Scene  2. 

1.  bills,  notes,  letters  of  instruction. 

2.  the  other  side,  the  other  wing. 

Scene  3. 

"Brutus  had  conquered  all  on  his  side,  and  Cassius  had  lost  all 
on  the  other  side.... Cassius  was  marvellous  angry  to  see  how 
Brutus'  men  ran  to  give  charge  upon  their  enemies,  and  tarried  not 
for  the  word  of  battle ;  and  it  grieved  him,  that  after  he  had  over- 


124  JULIUS  OESAR.  [Act  37. 

come  them,  his  men  fell  straight  to  spoil,  and  were  not  careful  to 
compass  in  the  rest  of  the  enemies  behind.... Perceiving  his  foot- 
men to  give  ground,  he  did  what  he  could  to  keep  them  from 
flying,  and  took  an  ensign  from  one  of  the  ensign -bearers  that  fled, 
and  stuck  it  fast  at  his  feet."  (North's  Plutarch.} 

3.  ensign,  used  both  of  the  ensign  itself  and  its  bearer.  The 
construction  of  the  next  line  leaves  it  uncertain  which  of  the  two 
Cassius  means  here. 

20.  "  So  Cassius  himself  was  at  length  compelled  to  fly,  with  a 
few  about  him,  unto  a  little  hill  :...howbeit  Cassius  himself  saw 
nothing,  for  his  sight  was  very  bad."  (Norths  Plutarch. } 

34.  "Cassius  then  spake  these  words:  *  Desiring  too  much  to  live, 
I  have  lived  to  see  one  of  my  best  friends  taken,  for  my  sake,  before 
my  face."'  (Norths  Plutarch.} 

37.  "  Pindarus,  one  of  his  bondsmen  whom  he  reserved  ever  for 
such  a  pinch,  since  the  cursed  battle  of  the  Parthians,  where  Croesus 
was  slain."  (Norths  Plutarch.} 

38.  I  swore  thee,  made  thee  swear.     Sometimes  a  transitive 
verb,  sometimes  intransitive,  as  now  we  talk  of  a  witness  *  being 
sworn  *. 

saving:  not  the  participle,  but  gerund;  the  prior  stage  was 
1  a-saving ' — itself  a  corruption  of  '  in  saving '. 

41.  this  good  sword.  The  fatalistic  character  of  the  play  is 
very  marked  throughout ;  that  conception  being  accepted  from 
Plutarch,  who  expressly  says  that  Cassius  was  slain  with  the  same 
sword  with  which  he  had  stabbed  Caesar. 

43.  hilts.    The  plural  and  singular  forms  are  used  indiscriminately. 

47.  Note  that  in  spite  of  Cassius  being  always  depicted  as  of  a 
hasty  temper,  Pindarus  obviously  regards  him  with  affection — an- 
other testimony  to  the  really  tender  side  of  his  character.  The 
language  of  his  own  followers  at  all  times  bears  out  this  view  of  him. 

68.  apt,  ready,  willing. 

88.  regarded,  honoured.  We  often  use  the  word  in  this  way  as 
equivalent  to  '  regard  favourably ',  but  it  is  quite  as  often  colourless. 
In  Shakespeare  it  always  has  the  complimentary  sense. 

96.  proper^  own;  so  own  proper —l  very  own'. 

97.  whether,  scanned  as  a  monosyllable. 

99.  The.  The  definite  article  is  only  occasionally  used  with  a 
vocative.  Cf.  Lear,  i.  I.  271 — 

"  The  jewels  of  our  father,  with  washed  eyes 
Cordelia  leaves  you  ". 

For  the  passage  cf.  North's  Plutarch,  "After  Brutus  had  lamented 
the  death  of  Cassius,  calling  him  the  last  of  all  the  Romans,  being 


Scene  5.]    '  NOTES.  125 

impossible  that  Rome  should  ever  breed  again  so  noble  and  valiant  a 
man  as  he,  he  caused  his  body  to  be  buried,  and  sent  it  to  the  city  of 
Thasos,  fearing  lest  his  funerals  within  his  camp  should  cause  great 
disorder  ". 

101.  tripe  =  more.     Cf.  ii.  i.  72,  note. 

109.  three  o'clock.     Titinius  above  talked  of  the  "  setting  sun". 
Plutarch  says  that  at  the  second  battle  Brutus  "  suddenly  caused  his 
army  to  march,  being  past  three  o'clock  of  the  afternoon  ";  which 
accounts  for  that  hour  being  named  here. 

1 10.  The  second  fight  as  a  matter  of  fact  did  not  take  place  for 
another  twenty  days. 

Scene  4. 

3.  "There  was  the  son  of  Marcus  Cato  slain... manfully  fighting 
and  laying  about  him,  telling  aloud  his  name  and  also  his  father's 
name." 

13.  "Amongst  them  there  was  one  of  Brutus'  friends,  called 
Lucilius,  who  seeing  a  troupe  of  barbarous  men  making  no  reckon- 
ing of  all  men  else  they  met  in  their  way,  but  going  all  together 
right  against  Brutus... told  them  that  he  was  Brutus."  (North's 
Plutarch.)  The  rest  of  the  incident  is  described  precisely  as  by 
Shakespeare. 

17.  the  news.     Ff.  thee  news.     The  correction  is  Pope's. 
30.  whether,  scanned  as  a  monosyllable. 

32.  Plutarch  adds:  "Then  he  embraced  Lucilius,  and  at  that 
time  delivered  him  to  one  of  his  friends  in  custody;  and  Lucilius 
ever  afier  served  him  faithfully  even  unto  his  death  . 

Scene  5. 

2.  "There  was  one  called  Statilius  that  promised  to  go  through 
his  enemies... and  from  thence,  if  all  were  well,  that  he  would  lift  up 
a  torch-light" 

3.  came  not,  has  not  come;  past  tense  used  for  perfect     Cf. 
Genesis^  xliv.  28,  * '  And  I  said,  Surely  he  is  torn  in  pieces ;  and  I  saw 
him  not  since". 

6.  The  whole  account  of  Brutus  asking  one  after  another  of  his 
friends  to  kill  him  is  taken  straight  from  Plutarch.  He  "  told  Clitus 
somewhat  in  his  ear";  then  he  "proved  Dardanus"  {sic}\  and  "at 
length  he  came  to  Volumnius  himself,  and  speaking  to  him  in  Greek, 
prayed  him  for  the  studies'  sake  which  brought  them  acquainted 
together,  that  he  would  help  him  to  put  his  hand  to  his  sword,  to 
thrust  it  in  him  to  kill  him".  The  farewell  speech,  and  the  falling 
upon  his  sword  while  Strato  held  it  with  averted  face,  are  also  from 
Plutarch. 


126  JULIUS  CESAR.  [Act  V. 

14.  That,  for  '  so  that '. 

15.  list  a  word.     List,  listen,  hearken  are  used,  like  'hear',  as 
transitive  verbs.     Cf.  iv.  I.  41,  "Listen  great  things". 

19.  The  second  appearance  of  the  'spirit'  is  only  mentioned  in- 
cidentally in  Plutarch's  Life  of  Ccesar — not  in  the  full  account  of 
the  death  of  Brutus. 

28.  hilts.     See  v.  3.  43,  note. 

35.  found:  we  expect  'have  found';  cf.  v.  5.  3,  note. 

46.  smatch,  smack,  touch. 

60.  entertain,  take  into  my  service;  so  often.  Cf.  Merry  Wives, 
i.  3.  10,  "I  will  entertain  Bardolph". 

62.  prefer,  recommend.     Cf.  Merchant  of  Venice,  ii.  2.  155 — 

"  Shylock  thy  master  spoke  with  me  this  day, 
And  hath  preferr'd  thee". 

71,  72.  The  construction  is  loose,  but  the  meaning  is  clear,  'From 
the  general  honesty  of  his  motives,  and  for  the  common  good '. 

73.  For  the  bearing  of  this  line  on  the  date  of  the  play  see  Intro- 
duction. 

79.  honourably.     See  Appendix  A,  §  7  (vi). 

80.  call  the  field  to  rest,  sound  the  signal  for  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities.  Field  is  probably  used  in  a  sense  analogous  to  the  modern  use 
as  a  hunting  term. 


APPENDIX   A. 


OUTLINE  OF  SHAKESPEARE'S   PROSODY. 

§  i.   Metre  as  an  indication  of  Date 

English  blank  verse  did  not  come  into  use  till  the  sixteenth  century: 
and  at  the  commencement  of  its  career,  the  rules  which  regulated  its 
employment  were  strict.  It  was  only  when  the  instrument  was  be- 
coming familiar  that  experiments  could  be  ventured  upon,  and  varia- 
tions and  modifications  freely  introduced.  The  changes  in  the  structure 
of  blank  verse  between  the  time  when  Shakespeare  commenced  writing 
and  the  time  of  his  retirement  are  great;  and  the  variations  hi  this 
respect  are  among  the  most  important  indications  of  the  date  of  any 
given  play.  That  is  to  say,  broadly  speaking,  the  less  strictly  regular 
the  metre,  the  later  the  play. 

In  the  same  way,  a  gradually  increasing  disregard  of  ether  kindred 
conventions  marks  the  later  plays  as  compared  with  the  earlier.  A 
good  deal  of  rhyme  survives  in  the  dialogue  in  the  earlier  plays;  later 
it  is  only  to  be  found  occasionally  at  the  close  of  a  scene  or  a  speech 
to  round  it  off — probably  a  concession  to  stage  tradition  analogous  to 
the  similar  use  of  *  gnomae '  in  Greek  plays,  and  of  a  '  sentiment ' 
in  modern  melodrama.  The  first  use  of  prose  is  onry  for  purposes  of 
comedy;  later,  it  is  used  with  comparative  freedom  (as  in  Hamlet)  in 
passages  of  a  very  different  type,  though  the  introduction  of  verse  in 
a  prose  scene  always  marks  a  rise  to  a  higher  emotional  plane. 

In  the  present  play,  which  belongs  to  the  middle  period,  all  these 
characteristics  are  in  the  stage  of  development  which  betokens  the 
middle  period.  Irregularities  are  not  rare,  but  they  have  not  become 
almost  the  rule  as  in  Antony  and  Cleopatra.  Rhymes  are  rare:  but 
four  scenes  close  with  them.  Prose  is  used,  for  instance,  in  Brutus' 
address  to  the  populace;  but  for  the  most  part  serious  dialogue  or 
soliloquy  is  in  verse. 

§  2.   Form  of  Blank  Verse. 

Our  study  of  versification  is  commonly  restricted  to  that  of  Latin  and 
Greek.  When  we  examine  English  verse -structure,  a  distinction  at 
once  appears.  In  the  classical  verse  the  governing  element  is  quan- 
tity; in  English  it  is  stress.  And  inasmuch  as  stress  is  much  less 
definite  than  quantity,  the  rules  of  English  verse  cannot  be  given 
with  the  same  precision  as  those  of  Latin  and  Greek.  But  we  may 
begin  with  certain  explanations  as  to  what  stress  is  not.  A  *  stressed' 
syllable  is  not  the  same  as  a  long  syllable;  nor  is  stress  the  same  as 


128  JULIUS  CESAR. 

sense-emphasis.  Any  strong  or  prolonged  dwelling  of  the  voice  on 
a  syllable,  for  whatever  reason,  is  stress.  So,  while  a  syllable  must 
be  either  long  or  short,  there  are  many  shades  of  gradation  between 
the  unstressed  and  the  strongly  stressed.  And  as  in  Greek  tragic 
verse  a  long  syllable  may,  in  certain  positions,  take  the  place  of  a  short 
one,  so  a  moderately  stressed  syllable  may  often  in  English  take  the 
place  of  an  unstressed  one. 

To  start  with,  then, — to  get  at  the  basis  of  our  metre — we  will  take 
no  account  of  weak  stress,  but  treat  of  all  syllables  as  if  they  must 
either  have  no  stress  or  a  strong  stress;  and  throughout,  the  word 
stress,  when  used  without  a  qualifying  adjective,  will  mean  strong 
stress.  The  acute  accent  (')  will  be  used  to  mark  a  stress,  the  grave 
0  to  mark  a  weak  stress,  the  w  to  mark  a  syllable  sounded  but  not 
stressed. 

The  primary  form  of  the  Shakespearian  line  is — five  feet,  each  of  two 
syllables;  each  foot  carrying  one  stress,  on  the  second  syllable;  with 
a  sense  pause  at  the  end  of  the  line. 

You  blocks',  |  you  stones',  |  you  worse'  |  than  sense'  |  less  things',     (i.  i.  40). 

§  3.  Normal  Variations. 

But  if  there  were  no  variations  on  this,  the  effect  would  be  mono- 
tonous and  mechanical  after  a  very  few  lines. 

(i)  The  first  variation  therefore  is  brought  about  by  the  stress  in 
one  or  two  of  the  feet  being  thrown  on  the  first  instead  of  the  second 
syllable,  which  is  known  as  an  '  inverted '  stress. 

Have'  you  |  not  made'  |  an  u'  |  niver7  |  sal  shout'  (i.  i.  49). 

Mere'ly  }  upon'  |  myself.  |  Vex'ed  |  I  am'  (i.  2.  39). 

Think'  of  |  this  life',  |  but'  for  |  my  sing7  |  le  self  (i.  2.  94). 

That  he'  |  is  grown'  |  so  great'.  |  Age',  thou  |  art  shamed'  (i.  2.  150). 

Observe  that  the  stress  is  thus  thrown  back  much  more  commonly  in 
the  first  foot  of  the  line  than  elsewhere:  and  that  in  the  other  cases  the 
stressed  syllable  usually  follows  a  pause. 

(ii)  Secondly,  variety  is  introduced  by  the  insertion  of  an  extra 
unstressed  syllable  which  is  not  extra-metrical,  analogous  to  the  use 
of  an  anapaest  instead  of  an  iambus. 

Let  me  see',  |  let  me  see';  |  is  not  |  the  leaf  |  turn'd  down  (iv.  3.  273). 

As  a  general  rule,  however,  such  extra  syllables  are  very  slightly 
pronounced;  not  altogether  omitted  but  slurred,  as  very  often  happens 
when  two  vowels  come  next  each  other,  or  are  separated  only  by  a 
liquid  (see  §  6). 

(iii)  The  converse  of  this  is  the  (very  rare)  omission  of  an  unstressed 
syllable.  This  is  only  found  where  the  stress  is  very  strong,  and  the 
omission  is  really  made  up  for  by  a  pause. 

Speak',  |  strike',  |  redress'.  \  Am'  I  |  entreat'ed  {ii.  i.  55). 


APPENDIX  A.  129 

(iv)  Extra-metrical  unstressed  syllables  are  added  before  a  pause, 
sometimes  in  the  middle  of  a  line. 

More  than  |  his  rea  |  s(on).     But  'tis  |  a  com  |  mon  proof  (ii.  x.  21). 

But  this  was  still  rare  wheujutius  Cassar  was  written. 

More  frequently  an  extra-metrical  syllable  comes  at  the  end  of  a 
line,  and  this  is  fairly  common  in  this  play.  It  is  only  in  o^uite  early 
plays  that  it  is  at  all  unusual,  only  in  the  later  ones  that  it  is  actually 
habitual. 

Then,  Bru  |  tus,  I  |  have  much  I  mistook  |  your  pass  (ion); 
By  means  |  whereof  |  this  breast  |  of  mine  |  hath  bur(ied) 
Thoughts  of  |  deep  va  |  lue,  wor  |  thy  co  |  gitat(ions)  (i.  i.  48). 

By  an  extension  of  this  practice  we  sometimes  have  two  such  extra- 
metrical  syllables,  but  as  yet  only  when  they  are  slurred. 

Such  an  |  exploit  |  have  I  j  in  hand,  |  Liga(rius)  (ii.  i.  318). 

The  increasing  frequency  of  extra-metrical  syllables  is  a  useful 
approximate  guide  to  the  date  of  a  play.  But  they  are  never  so 
frequent  in  Shakespeare  as  in  some  of  the  younger  dramatists. 

(v)  The  variation  which  perhaps  most  of  all  characterizes  the  later 
plays  is  the  disappearance  of  the  sense-pause  at  the  end  of  the  line. 
At  first,  a  clause  running  over  from  one  line  to  the  next  is  very  rare: 
in  the  last  plays,  it  is  extremely  common.  (The  presence  of  a  sense- 
pause  is  not  necessarily  marked  by  a  stop;  it  is  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  that  the  last  word  should  be  dwelt  on ;  the  pause  may  be 
merely  rhetorical,  not  grammatical. )  Throughout  Antony's  speeches 
in  ii.  2  there  are  only  eight  lines  which  have  no  such  oause.  The 
proportion  in  some  other  scenes,  however,  is  larger. 

§  4.  Weak  Stresses. 

The  basis  of  scansion  being  thus  settled,  we  may  observe  how  the 
rules  are  modified  by  weak  or  intermediate  stresses,  which  are  in  fact 
the  chief  protection  against  monotony. 

(i)  Lines  in  which  there  are  not  five  strong  stresses  are  very  plenti- 
ful; e.g. 

Thou'  art'  |  the  ru'  |  insx  of  |  the  no'  |  blest  man'. 

In  the  fifth  foot  particularly,  the  stress  is  very  often  extremely 
slight. 

(ii)  On  the  other  hand,  lines  in  which  there  are  two  stressed 
syllables  in  one  foot  are  common. 

Friends',  Ro'  |  mans',  coun'  |  trymen'  |  lend'  me  |  your  ears'. 
O'  judge'  |  ment',  thou'  |  art  fled'  j  to  bru'  |  tish  beasts'. 

The  ev'  |  ir  that  |  men'  do'  |  lives'  af  |  ter  them' 

belongs  to  both  (i)  and  (ii). 

(831) 


I3o  JULIUS  CAESAR. 

A  foot  with  a  double  stress  is  nearly  always  preceded  by  a  pause, 
or  by  a  foot  with  a  very  weak  stress  only. 

(iii)  It  will  be  observed  that  there  are  never  fewer  than  three 
strong  stresses,  and  that  any  foot  in  which  there  is  no  strong  stress 
must  at  any  rate  have  one  syllable  with  a  weak  stress,  and  that  very 
often  such  a  foot  has  two  weak  stresses;  preventing  the  feeling  that 
the  line  is  altogether  too  light.  Thus  a  syllable  which  is  quite  un- 
emphatic  acquires  a  certain  stress  merely  by  length,  as  in  some  of  the 
above  cases.  And,  speaking  broadly,  a  very  strong  stress  in  one  foot 
compensates  for  a  weak  stress  in  the  neighbouring  foot. 

§5.  Irregularities. 

(i)  Occasionally  lines  occur  with  an  extra  foot;  i.e.  an  additional 
stress  after  the  normal  ten  syllables. 

Took  it  |  too  ea  |  gerly:  |  his  sol  |  diers  fell  |  to  spoil'  (v.  3.  7). 

Will  come  J  when  it  |  will  come.  |  What  say  |  the  au  |  gurers'  ?  (ii.  3.  37). 

But  this  does  not  often  occur  in  the  course  of  a  speech,  and  when 
it  does  there  is  usually  a  break  in  the  middle  of  the  line,  as  in  these 
instances.  It  is,  however,  decidedly  common  in  broken  dialogue. 

Cass.  And  bear  |  the  palm  |  alone  |  . 

Bru.  Anoth  |  er  gene  |  ral  shout. 

And  this  is  probably  often  to  be  explained  by  the  second  speaker 
breaking  in  on  the  first,  so  that  in  this  case  *  alone '  and  '  another ' 
are  pronounced  simultaneously. 

(ii)  Even  in  the  course  of  a  speech  we  have  lines  left  incomplete. 

To  make  them  instrument  of  fear  and  warning 
Unto  |  some  mon  |  strous  state.  | 
Now  could  |  I,  Cas  |  ca,  name  |  to  thee  |  a  man  | 
Most  like  |  this  dread  |  ful  night.  |    (i.  3.  70). 

In  this  instance  the  lines  might  be  rearranged  thus: 

Unto  |  some  mon  |  strous  state.  |  Now  could  |  I,  Casca,  | 
Name  to  thee  |  a  man  |  most  like  |  this  dread  |  ful  night  |  . 

But  the  dramatic  pause  suggested  by  the  arrangement  in  the  text 
is  more  impressive. 

(iii)  Short  lines,  "however,  are  commoner  in  broken  dialogue,  espe- 
cially when  either  hurried  or  excited;  and  their  purpose  is  not  to  give 
variety  to  the  metre,  but  to  produce  a  dramatic  effect  of  hurried  inter- 
ruption or  anxious  pause.  Thus  in  iii.  2,  it  is  often  difficult  to  feel 
sure  whether  the  cries  of  the  citizens  should  be  arranged  as  if  they 
formed  verse,  or  not ;  and  in  iv.  3,  when  the  retorts  become  short 
and  sharp,  many  of  them  are  outside  the  metre  altogether,  though 
there  is  no  continuous  prose  in  the  scene.  Sometimes  the  blank  is  ] 
filled  by  action  on  the  stage,  or  by  music. 


APPENDIX  A.  131 

In  some  of  the  plays,  such  short  lines  are  sometimes  almost  certainly 
due  to  the  mutilation  of  the  text,  passages  having  been  cut  out  for 
stage  purposes. 

(iv)  Interjections  and  proper  names  (especially  vocatives)  are 
frequently  extra-metrical. 

Let  us  1  be  sac  |  rift  |  cers  but  |  not  butchers,  Caius  (ii.  i.  166). 

So  "  O  "  might  perhaps  be  printed  by  itself  in  the  line, 

O  ye  gods!  |  ye  gods !  |  must  I  |  endure  |  all  this?  (iv.  3.  41). 

(v)  Similarly  after  a  pause  an  extra-metrical  interjection  may  come 
in  the  middle  of  a  line. 

Struck  Cae  |  sar  on  |  the  neck.  |  <7  you  flatt'  |  erers  (v.  i.  44). 

In  nearly  every  instance  observe  that  the  unusual  stress  comes 
either  after  a  pause,  whether  at  the  beginning  of  a  line  or  in  the 
middle;  or  at  the  end  of  a  line  in  which  there  is  a  break. 

§  6.  Apparent  Irregularities. 

(i)  Difficulties  occasionally  arise  from  the  fact  that  words  in 
Shakespeare's  day  were  sometimes  accented  in  a  different  way  from 
that  of  the  present  day,  and  sometimes  even  bear  a  different  accent 
in  different  places  in  Shakespeare's  own  writing.  Thus,  we  say 
'por'tent',  Shakespeare  always  *  portent".  On  the  other  hand,  we 
say  'complete",  Shakespeare  has  sometimes  'complete"  sometimes 
'com'plete'.  In  effect  we  must  often  be  guided  by  the  verse  in 
deciding  on  which  syllable  of  a  word  the  accent  should  fall,  because 
custom  had  not  yet  finally  decided  in  favour  of  a  particular  syllable. 
Speaking  broadly,  the  tendency  of  the  modern  pronunciation  is  to 
throw  the  accent  far  back. 

(ii)  Similarly,  when  two  vowels  come  together  (as  in  words  end- 
ing with  -ion,  -ius,  -ious,  and  the  like)  we  are  in  the  habit  of  slurring 
the  first,  and  sometimes  of  blending  it  with  the  preceding  consonant; 
so  that  we  pronounce  'ambit-i-on'  'ambishon'.  In  Shakespeare  the 
vowel  in  such  cases  is  sometimes  slurred  and  sometimes  not,  in  the 
same  word  in  different  places;  usually  the  former  in  the  middle  of  a 
line,  often  the  latter  at  the  end.  In  such  cases  we  must  be  guided 
simply  by  ear  in  deciding  whether  the  vowel  is  slurred  or  sounded 
distinctly.  And  we  have  to  decide  in  exactly  the  same  way  when  we 
are  to  sound  or  not  sound  the  terminal  -ed  of  the  past  participle. 

Thus  we  have  in  consecutive  lines — 

Ambi  |  tion  should'  |  be  made  |  of  stern  |  er  stuft. 
Yet  Bru  |  tus  says  |  he  was  |  ambi  |  turns'. 

And  within  a  few  lines — 

Thy  brother  by  decree  is  banished  (iii.  i.  44)  • 
For  the  repealing  of  my  banish'd  brother  (iii.  i.  51). 


132  JULIUS  CESAR. 

ii)  So  again  in  particular  words,  a  vowel 

e,  sometimes  sounded.    E.g.  in  the  great 

ir  plays  as  well  as  this  ' ceremony*  should  probably  be  pronounced 

L  the  second  e  mute  as  in  *  cere-cloth';  but  in 


Set  on;  |  and  leave  |  no  cer  |  emon  |  y  out   (i.  2.  n). 

it  must  evidently  be  sounded.     So  with  *  dangerous',  'general',  &c., 
the  e  may  or  may  not  be  mute. 

(iv)  In  a  large  number  of  words  where  a  liquid  (/,  m,  n,  and 
especially  r)  comes  next  to  another  consonant  an  indefinite  vowel 
sound  is  sometimes  introduced  between  the  two  letters  (just  as  now 
in  many  places  one  may  hear  the  word  'helm'  pronounced  'helium'), 
which  may  be  treated  as  forming  a  syllable,  and  sometimes  the  vowel 
is  actually  inserted,  as  in  thorough  =  'through' — 

Thorough  the  hazards  of  this  untrod  state  (iii.  i.  136). 

(v)  Conversely,  a  light  vowel  sound  coming  next  a  liquid  is  often 
slurred  and  in  effect  dropped;  so  that  such  words  as  spirit,  peril, 
quarrel,  are  often  practically  monosyllables.  (Hence  such  a  form  as 
'parlous '  =  'perilous'}. 

(vi)  As  the  sound  off,  /,  m,  n,  r,  s,  ng  can  be  held  out,  we  occasion- 
ally find  them  before  a  pause,  and  especially  at  the  end  of  a  verse, 
treated  as  equivalent  to  an  extra  syllable. 

Good  night,  |  my  lord  |  — Good  night,  |  good  bro  |  ther  (iv.  3.  237). 

The  heart  |  of  wo  |  man  is !  |  O  Bru  |  tus  (ii.  4.  40). 

Look  how  |  he  makes  |  to  Cse  |  sar:  mark  |  him  (iii.  i.  18). 

Possibly  this  is  the  explanation  of  the  following  lines: 
But  what  |  of  Cic  |  ero?  shall  |  we  sound  |  hiw?  (ii.  x.  141). 
When  Cx  |  sar's  head  |  is  off.  \  — Yet7  |  I  fear'  him.  (ii.  i.  183). 
Caesar  |  has  had  |  great  wro#£".  |  —Has'  |  he  mas'ters?  (ii.  2.  115). 

But  see  §  7,  where  these  lines  are  farther  discussed. 

(vii)  th  and  v  between  two  vowels  are  often  almost  or  entirely 
dropped  and  the  two  syllables  run  into  one:  as  in  the  words  'whether', 
'whither',  'other',  'either',  'ever',  'never',  'even',  'over'.  'Heaven' 
generally,  'evil',  'devil'  sometimes,  are  treated  as  monosyllables. 

Vowels  separated  by  a  w  or  an  h  are  habitually  slurred  and  pro- 
nounced practically  as  one  syllable. 

(viii)  '  Fire '  and  similar  words  which  in  common  pronunciation 
are  dissyllables  ('fi-er,'  &c.)  are  commonly  but  not  always  scanned 
as  monosyllables. 

As  fi  |  re  drives  |  out  fire,  |   so  pi  |  ty  pity.  (iii.  i.  172). 

So  '  dear ',  '  where ',  '  fare ',  &c.,  are  occasionally  dissyllables:  e.g. 

Lucius !  |  My  gown.  |  Fare  |  well  good  |  Messala  (iv.  3.  231). 
But 

For  e  |  ver  and  [  for  e  |  ver,  fare  |  well  Cassius  (v.  i.  117). 


APPENDIX  A.  133 

(ix)  Other  ordinary  contractions,  such  as  *  we'll*  for  'we  will',  M* 
for  the  before  a  vowel,  &c.,  though  not  shown  in  the  spelling,  are. 
frequent. 

§  7.  Lines  of  doubtful  scansion, 
(i)  But  what  |  of  Cic  |  ero?  |  shall  we  |  sound  him'?  (ii.  I.  141). 

I  take  'him'  to  be  emphatic,  so  read  as  above.  But  perhaps  it 
should  be  read  as  hi  §  6  (vi). 

(ii)  Our  pur'  |  posene'  |  cessar'  |  y\  and  |  not'  en'vious  (ii.  1.178). 

There  is  a  double  stress  on  the  last  foot,  following  the  very  weak 
stress,  produced  by  the  pause  after  'necessary',  in  the  fourth  foot: 
*"*£.  the  stress  on  the  fourth  foot  is  thrown  forward  to  the  first  syllable 
of  the  fifth. 

(iii)  WhenCse'  |  sar's  head'  |  is  off'.  |  —Yet',  I  |  fear  him'  (ii.  1.183). 
'Him'  is  emphatic.     Considering  also  that  an  inverted  stress  in 
the  last  foot  is  rare,  I  think  that  'him',  not  'fear',  should  be  stressed. 
This  seems  preferable  to  the  suggestion  in  §  6  (vi). 

(iv)  And  these  |  does  she  |  apply  |  for  war  |  nings   and  |  portents 

(ii.  2.  80). 

Portents  is  always  accented  on  the  second  syllable;  this  is  therefore  a 
line  of  six  feet ;  see  §  5  (i).  Otherwise  we  should  be  tempted  to  drop 
the  'and'.  % 

(v)  Cse'sar  |  has  had'  |  great  wrong'.  |  Has'  |  he  mas'ters?  (iii.  2. 
"5). 

Possibly  this  is  an  example  of  §  3  (iii),  or  6  (vi),  as  scanned :  the 
ng  taking  the  place  of  a  syllable  before  'has'.  Or  it  may  run 
"Has'  he  |  mas'ters";  though  this  is  very  doubtful,  as  the  inverted 
stress  in  the  last  foot  is  rare.  I  suspect,  however,  that  we  ought  to 
read  'Ay,  has'  |  he,  mas'ters,'  or  'has'  he  |  not,  mas'ters?'  Either 
would  fit  the  context  better;  but  the  omission  of  Ay  (written  I)  is 
so  easy  a  printer's  slip  that  the  probabilities  in  favour  of  that  reading 
are  very  strong. 

(vi)  Young  man  |  thou  could'st  |  not  die  |  more  hon  |  oura'ble 
(v.  i.  60). 
Most  like  |  a  sol  |  dier  or  |  der'd  hon  |  oura'bly  (v.  5.  79). 

The  word  'honourable'  is  very  frequent  in  this  play,  and  seems 
always  to  be  accented  as  above  (see  Mark  Antony's  speech  through- 
out). I  do  not,  therefore,  think  those  readers  who  would  drop  the 
sound  of  the  -ou-  in  these  instances  correct. 

N.B. — The  lines  in  (ii),  (iii),  and  (v)  are  all  sometimes  read  as 
if  the  stress  were  on  the  first  syllable  of  the  last  foot;  but  in  each  case 
there  seems  insufficient  warrant.  I  have  observed  no  unmistakable 
examples  of  this  inversion. 


APPENDIX   B. 


HISTORICAL  OUTLINES. 

Shakespeare  in  the  history  he  has  given  us  follows  the  authority  he 
adopted  very  closely.  In  dealing  with  English  history  he  treated 
Holinshed  very  much  as  in  dealing  with  Roman  history  he  treated 
Plutarch.  He  took  the  main  lines  of  his  characters,  and  their  chief 
acts,  from  the  accepted  authority  without  travelling  farther  afield  to 
test  his  guide's  accuracy.  Moreover,  as  he  was  principally  concerned 
in  keeping  the  interest  of  a  theatrical  audience  from  flagging,  rather 
than  in  producing  a  historical  treatise,  he  chose  to  set  forth  those 
scenes  and  acts  which  were  interesting,  and  to  leave  out  those  which 
were  complicated  or  tedious.  In  short  he  wrote  as  a  dramatist,  not 
as  a  politician  or  a  professor,  and  consequently  historical  accuracy  as 
such  was  of  no  importance  to  him.  The  surprising  thing  is  that  he 
kept  so  close  to  his  authority — merely  melting  the  prose  into  poetry 
in  his  wonderful  crucible — that  there  is  no  substantial  addition  or 
omission  to  be  found.  If  his  history  is  not  the  history  of  the  class- 
room, neither  is  it  the  'fictitious  background  for  a  love  story. 

If  we  turn  to  the  other  authorities  for  this  period,  our  conception 
of  the  facts  and  their  bearings  must  be  somewhat  modified.  The 
play  gives  us  a  much  smaller  idea  of  Julius  Caesar  than  the  facts 
warrant;  the  relative  importance  of  the  various  conspirators  is  in 
some  degree  misrepresented,  and  the  issues  at  stake  will  hardly 
appear  in  the  same  light. 

For  the  last  hundred  years  the  Roman  world  had  been  periodically 
rent  with  civil  strife.  The  old  idea  of  a  paternal  oligarchy,  if  it  ever 
really  existed,  had  fallen  to  pieces;  government  was  alternately  in 
the  hands  of  a  senatorial  or  a  democratic  faction,  with  leaders  whose 
aims  were  often  noble  and  followers  whose  aims  were  nearly  always 
selfish.  Matters  had  been  complicated  by  the  extension  of  military 
organization,  and  of  the  field  whence  soldiers  were  drawn;  and 
whether  the  oligarchical  or  the  democratic  faction  was  to  get  the 
upper  hand,  it  had  been  for  some  time  tolerably  clear  that  no  party 
could  hold  dominion  unless  headed  by  a  competent  general  with  the 
support  of  the  military.  Caesar  perceived  that,  in  fact,  the  one  hope 
of  reorganizing  the  state  and  re-establishing  strong  and  steady 
government  lay  in  frankly  accepting  a  military  despotism — a  position 
which  the  oligarchical  faction  could  never  adopt. 

Caesar's  rivalry  with  Pompey  ended  in  the  establishment  of  the 
despotism;  and  with  a  swiftness  of  intuition  and  rapidity  of  action 


APPENDIX   B.  135 

which  can  hardly  be  paralleled  he  set  about  the  immense  task  of  re- 
organization. But  the  oligarchical  party,  deprived  of  all  power, 
were  resolved  to  make  one  more  cast  to  recover  it.  Caesar  had 
treated  the  defeated  Pompeians  with  astonishing  magnanimity,  but 
magnanimity  was  a  virtue  they  hardly  understood.  Blind  to  the 
literal  impossibility  of  re-establishing  a  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment, angered  by  their  own  want  of  importance  in  the  new  order, 
less  grateful  for  being  spared  when  they  were  beaten  than  furious  at 
having  been  beaten  at  all,  they  hated  Caesar  and  Caesarism,  while 
they  had  neither  an  alternative  leader  nor  an  alternative  policy. 
Some  were  men  of  ability,  none  of  commanding  powers.  In  the 
moment  of  Caesar's  triumph  they  conspired  together  and  struck  him 
down  with  their  own  hands.  The  result  was  a  brief  period  of  anarchy 
until  the  new  man  emerged — the  young  Octavius  with  Agrippa  at 
his  ear — who  built  that  Rome  the  foundations  whereof  Julius  Caesar 
had  laid. 

Not  that  the  conspirators  were  all  Pompeians,  or  men  who  even 
had  reasonable  ground  for  considering  that  their  own  political  am- 
bitions had  been  overthrown  by  Caesar's  policy.  Several  of  them 
were  already  holding  high  appointments  under  Caesar,  and  were  in 
the  way  of  promotion.  But  some  were  probably  angry  because, 
enjoying  Caesar's  personal  favour,  they  had  not  obtained  all  the 
fruits  of  his  power  for  themselves;  others,  because  they  had  no  voice 
in  the  general  policy  though  their  administrative  offices  might  be 
high.  And  possibly  some  had  that  real  enthusiasm  for  '  liberty ' 
with  which  Brutus  is  credited — a  liberty  which  certainly  did  not  exist 
under  the  despotism,  but  had  as  certainly  become  wholly  incom- 
patible with  any  established  government.  Cicero  and  many  other 
members  of  the  party  who  had  no  share  in  the  conspiracy,  but  gave 
full  support  afterwards  to  the  conspirators,  were  honestly  enthusiastic 
republicans;  but  men  with  the  instinct  of  statesmen  could  hardly 
have  been  so  at  the  time,  and  of  the  conspirators  Brutus  alone  has 
been  selected  by  tradition  as  acting  primarily  on  the  ground  of 
patriotic  conviction  however  mistaken. 

But  if  we  took  Shakespeare's  account,  with  Plutarch's  biographies 
of  Caesar,  Brutus,  and  Antonius,  we  should  get  the  impression  that 
Brutus  was  Caesar's  most  intimate  friend  and  confidant;  that  the 
prospects  of  the  conspiracy  turned  on  his  participation  in  it;  that  the 
whole  body  of  the  conspirators  looked  upon  him  as  their  leader,  and 
bowed  to  his  judgment;  in  short,  that  he  was  the  man  of  highest 
mark  in  the  state  after  Caesar  himself.  Certainly  we  get  no  such 
impression  from  the  letters  or  speeches  of  Cicero.  In  fact,  a  good 
deal  of  confusion  seems  to  have  arisen  in  popular  tradition  between 
Decimus  Brutus  (Shakespeare's  Decius)  and  Marcus.  The  former 
was  extremely  intimate  with  the  dictator;  the  latter  was  not.  For 
a  long  time  after  the  assassination  Decimus  seems  to  have  really 
taken  the  leading  part;  he  appears  also  to  have  had  considerably 
higher  military  capacities  than  any  of  his  fellow-conspirators.  But 
the  imaginary  glories  of  the  republican  system  held  a  prominent 


136  JULIUS  CESAR. 

place  in  the  minds  of  theorists  and  men  of  letters  in  the  early  years 
of  the  empire;  Marcus  Brutus  was  known  to  have  been  an  earnest 
Stoic,  a  man  of  books,  with  whom  the  men  of  books  sympathized;  it 
seems  as  though  a  kind  of  legendary  Brutus  was  evolved  by  academic 
thinkers  and  writers  with  all  the  academic  merits  of  Marcus  and  the 
practical  prestige  of  Decimus. 

And  when  Caesar  had  fallen  the  work  did  not  go  on  with  that 
prompt  division  into  Caesarians  against  republicans  which  Shakespeare 
gives.  There  was  a  long  period  when  no  man  could  guess  the  up- 
shot. Antony  meant  to  have  Caesar's  place;  the  oligarchical  party 
had  the  upper  hand  in  the  senate,  but  were  constantly  afraid  to  move; 
the  conspirators  had  no  fixed  policy  or  plan  of  action;  Octavius  was 
an  entirely  unknown  quantity,  waiting  to  act  with  either  party  as 
might  seem  best.  Brutus  and  Cassius  went  to  their  provinces  in  the 
East.  Decimus  Brutus  in  Gaul  and  Antony  in  Italy  were  neither  of 
them  strong  enough  to  act  quite  decisively.  Octavius  began  by 
favouring  the  senatorial  party,  but  had  no  intention  of  being  controlled 
by  them;  they  lacked  the  courage  to  act  vigorously  themselves,  but 
did  not  dare  to  trust  him.  Divided  counsels  made  the  action  of  the 
senatorial  troops  abortive;  Octavius  saw  that  there  was  nothing  to 
look  forward  to  on  that  side — the  senate  would  neither  use  him  nor 
allow  him  to  use  them.  By  combining  with  Antony  the  field  would 
be  cleared;  the  oligarchical  party  would  be  beaten  in  Italy,  and  then 
in  the  East,  and  it  would  be  time  enough  then  to  settle  future  rela- 
tions with  Antony. 

The  two  chiefs  met  near  Bologna;  they  took  Lepidus  (whose 
position  in  the  triumvirate  is  sufficiently  set  forth  in  the  play)  into 
partnership,  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  proscribed  and  put 
to  death  any  prominent  persons  whom  they  regarded  as  either  dan- 
gerous or  personally  obnoxious,  and  proceeded  to  carry  out  the 
programme  as  described.  In  all  essentials  the  course  of  events  as 
narrated  in  the  play  is  substantially  accurate.  The  above  details  are 
here  added  lest  erroneous  impressions  should  be  formed.  It  will  be 
observed  that  in  the  play  there  is  nothing  really  inconsistent  with 
the  facts  so  far  as  they  are  ascertainable,  but  that  considerations  of 
more  historical  than  dramatic  value  are  in  it  allowed  to  fall  into  the 
background. 


GLOSSARY. 


abide(iii.  i.  94.  2. 119). '  pay',  for 
'aby'.  Not  the  same  word  as 
'abide'^  bide,  await.  The  form  is 
merely  the  result  of  the  two  ideas 
being  confused. 

abjects  (iv.  i.  37),  offscourings, 
thrown  away  things.  The  word  oc- 
curs accented  'abjects'  in  Richard 
111.  i.  i.  106;  not  elsewhere  as  a 
substantive. 

address'd  (iii.  i.  29),  ready. 

affections  (ii.  i.  20),  natural  in- 
clinations. 

aim  (i.  2.  163),  guess,  conjecture. 
O.F.  esmcr,  Lat.  adacstimare. 

alarum  (stage -direction,  pas- 
sim),  call  to  arms;  another  form 
of 'alarm' (cf.  through,  thorough: 
flip,  fillip,  &c.):  from  It.  all'armt. 

and,  an  (i .  2. 268) = if.  The  same 
word  is  used  for  the  conditional 
conjunction  (enda)  in  Scandinavian, 
and  this  use  of  'an'  or  'and'  is  re- 
garded by  Professor  Skeat  as  Scan- 
dinavian in  consequence.  Dr.  Ab- 
bott regards  it  as  merely  the  copula; 
the  'conditional'  being  contained 
in  the  subjunctive.  Then  as  usage 
demanded  the  employment  of  a 
particle,  it  was  erroneously  sup- 
posed that  in  such  cases  the  copula 
really  was  a  conditional  particle;  so 
that  'an'^'if  came  to  be  distin- 
guished from  'and '  the  copula.  In 
some  cases  the  explanation  may  be 
that  there  is  an  ellipsis,  e.g.  "I  will 
roar  you  an  'twere  any  nightingale  " 
=:an  if  it  were  a  nightingale  (I 
should  roar  better).  Sh.  Gr.  102, 
103. 

annoy  (1.3.  22;  ii.  i.  160),  molest, 
hurt.  O.F.  anoi  (= ennui),  Lat.  in 
ffdzo,  so  'to  be  unpleasant',  hence 
-'injure'. 


(passim],  'at  once',  soft- 
ened to  'before  long'.  Cf.  pres- 
ently. A.S.  on  dn,  in  one  moment. 

answer:  (i)  reply,  lit.  counter- 
arnrmation;  (2)  account,  i.  3.  114, 
"  My  answer  must  be  made"  ;  (3) 
atonement,  iii.  2.  85,  "and  griev- 
ously hath  Caesar  answered  it "  ;  (4) 
with  a  plav  on  the  word  'charge', 
v.  i.  25,  "We  will  answer  on  their 
charge  "= repel  their  attack. 

apparent:  ( i )  seeming;  (2)  visible, 
which  have  appeared,  ii.  i.  198  ;  (3) 
'evident',  possibly  but  not  pro- 
bably the  sense  in  this  passage. 
See  note. 

apprehensive  (iii.  i.  67),  'ima- 
ginative', and  so  'capricious'. 

apt:  (i)  (ii.  2.  97)  likely  ;  (2)  suit- 
able; (3)  (iii.  i.  160)  ready;  (4) 
(v.  3.  68)  quick,  easily  moved.  Lat. 
aptus,  fitted. 

arrive  (i.  2.  no),  reach.  Low 
Latin  adripare  (ripa,  bank),  come 
ashore,  Used  without  a  preposi- 
tion by  Shakespeare. 

augurer  (ii.  i.  200,  2.  37),  pro- 
fessional interpreter  of  omens. 

battle  (v.  i.  4),  *  division  of  an 
army ',  as  we  use  the  kindred  word 
'battalion'.  Also  of  the 'main  body* 
of  an  army. 

bay  (iii.  i.  204),  bring  to  bay; 
(iv.  i.  49,  3.  27)  bark  at.  A  deer 
brought  to  bay  is  a  deer  with  the 
hounds  baying  round  him.  For 
'abay',  Fr.  abbayer,  Lat.  adbau- 
bari. 

bear  ...  hard  (i.  2.  317;  ii.  i. 
215;  iii.  i.  157),  bear  ill-will  to. 
Not  elsewhere  in  Shakespeare.  Ori- 
gin of  the  phrase  uncertain.  It  is 


138 


JULIUS  OESAR. 


commonly  explained  as  being  like 
'bear  a  hand  over',  a  metaphor 
from  keeping  a  tight  rein  in  riding; 
so  'hold  severely  in  check',  but  this 
would  only  be  fitting  to  the  first 
example.  I  should  rather  suppose 
it  to  be ' endure  hardly',  'suffer  with 
difficulty '.  But  the  general  sense, 
'bear  a  grudge  to',  is  clear. 

bend  (i.  2.  123),  look,  i.e.  the 
'  bend '  or  '  direction '  of  the  eye  ; 
from  the  use  of  the  verb  '  bend '  = 
'direct'.  Cf.  bent = natural  direc- 
tion or  inclination  of  the  mind. 

bill  (v.  2.  i),  letter.  Cf.  Fr. 
billet.  L.  L.  billa  =  Lat.  bulla 
(whence  '  Papal  bull'),  a  seal,  and 
hence  'sealed  writing'. 

bootless  (iii.  i.  75),  vainly, 
without  'boot',  profit,  O.E.  b<ft, 
'profit'.  So  'to  boot'— into  the 
bargain. 

brave,  bravery  (v.  i.  10):  (i) 
magnificence;  (2)  courage.  See 
note.  Der.  uncertain. 

break  with (ii.  1. 150),  not  'quar- 
rel', but  '  make  disclosure  to '.  So 
always  in  Shakespeare  with  one  ex- 
ception (Coriolanus,  iv.  6.  48). 

bring  (i.  3. i),  escort.  In  modern 
use  always  '  bring  here ' ;  in  Shake- 
speare about  as  frequently  'bring 
there'. 

brook  (i.  2.  159),  endure,  from 
original  sense  'use',  'enjoy',  O.E. 
brucan. 

but:  (i)  Preposition,  by -out  — 
without.  Surviving  only  in  occa- 
sional proverbs,  such  as  'Touch 
not  a  cat  but  a  glove'.  So  (2)  'ex- 
cept', as  in  'all  but  he',  a  form 
which  is  not  apparently  more  strictly 
grammatical  than  'all  but  him'. 
(3)  'Except', conjunctional;  "And, 
but  thou  love  me,  let  them  find  me 
here"  (Rom.  ii.  2.  76).  (4)  With  a 
negative,  '  anything  except  that ', 
'  other  than  that ',  e.g.  ' '  I  found  no 
man  but  he  was  true  to  me  ",  v.  5.  35. 
(5)  The  negative  being  omitted, 
'  only ',  as  '  nobbut '  is  used  provin- 
cially  (iii.  3.  38);  "Pluck  but  his 


name  out  of  his  heart",  "  Life's  but 
a  span".  (6)  Simply  adversative 
in  its  commonest  use. 

cautelous  (ii.  i.  129),  'deceitful', 
through  'over-cautious'  from  the 
primary  sense  of  'cautious',  Lat. 
cautela,  caution.  Cautela  being 
used  by  the  jurists  for  '  security ', 
the  word  might  have  got  from  that 
a  sense  pretty  much  equivalent  to 
'  pettifogging '. 

censure  (iii.  2. 16),  'judge',  with- 
out the  specific  modern  sense  of 
'blame'. 

ceremony,  Lat.  caeremonia,  re- 
ligious rite.  So  (i)  (ii.  2. 13) '  super- 
stition',' superstitious  observances'; 
(2)  '  ceremonial '  religious  or  other- 
wise (i.  2.  ii ;  iii.  i.  241);  (3)  'de- 
corations', the  concrete  accompani- 
ment of  ceremonial  (i.  i.  70). 

chapped  (i.  2.  246),  rough, 
chopped.  'Chop'  and  'chap' are 
the  same  word,  o  and  a  being  often 
interchangeable,  so  that  'lond', 
'  hond  ',  '  strond ',  are  found  for  the 
commoner  forms.  So  As  You  Like 
It,  ii.  4.  50,  "her  pretty  chopt 
hands". 

charactery  (ii.  i.  308),  written 
characters,  writing. 

cheer  (iii.  i.  89),  countenance, 
mien.  O.  F.  chere,  L.  L.  cara, 
face. 

chew  (i.  2.  171),  'ponder',  ex- 
actly as  we  use  '  ruminate*. 

climate  (i.  3.  32),  'region',  as 
we  use  '  clime ' ;  not  referring  to  the 
'  weather'.  The  word  primarily 
meant  slope ;  hence  a  particular  re- 
gion regarded  in  respect  of  its  slope 
from  equator  to  pole;  hence,  in  re- 
spect of  its  temperature;  hence  the 
temperature  or  weather  itself. 

cognizance  (ii.  2.  89  ),  memo- 
rial; not  something  'to  be  recog- 
nized by',  but  something  'to  re- 
mind of. 

colour  (ii.  i.  29),  apparent  jus- 
tification; so  frequent  in  Shake- 


GLOSSARY. 


139 


speare,  as  we  use  the  analogous 
phrase  'a  colourable  pretext'. 

companion  (iv.  3.  138),  a  term 
of  reproach,  as  we  use  'fellow'. 

complexion:  (i)  that  of  which 
the  body  is  composed ;  so  (2)  the 
'humours'  (q.v.)\  (3)  the  colour- 
ing of  the  face,  as  showing  the  con- 
dition the  '  humours '  were  in  ;  (4) 
(i.  3.  128)  applied  metaphorically  to 
the  elements  outside. 

con  (iv.  3.  98),  study;  connected 
with  'can',  'ken'. 

conceit  (i.  3.  162 ;  iii.  i.  192),  a 
verb  = '  conceive', '  picture' ;  perhaps 
in  the  former  case  with  a  sense  of 
the  use  of  'conceit'  for  'fanciful 
expression'.  Elsewhere  in  Shake- 
speare only  in  Othello,  iii.  3.  149. 

condition  (ii.  i.  236,  254),  bodily 
or  mental  health. 

contriver  (ii.  i.  158),  schemer ; 
for  'controver',  Fr.  trouver,  find. 

courtesy,  courteous  act,  and  so 
the  movement  regarded  as  a  sign  of 
courtesy,  'bow',  (iii.  i.  43)  modem 
'curtsey'. 

cynic  (iv.  3.  133),  one  who  pro- 
fessed the  philosophy  of  the  Cynic 
school. 

danger  (ii.  i.  17),  harm.  O.F. 
dongier,  Lat.  dominium,  absolute 
power;  so  'power  to  harm';  so 
'  harm  '  or  '  risk  of  harm '. 

dear,  precious;  so  used  simply 
as  an  intensive  (iii.  2.  119,  &c.). 

degree  (ii.  i.  26),  step  of  a 
ladder. 

deliver  (iii.  i.  181),  relate,  ex- 
plain. Lat.  liber,  free. 

dint  (iii.  2.  198),  blow,  pressure. 
The  same  word  as  '  dent, '  and 
local  'dunt'. 

directly.  Direct  =  «  straight' ; 
so  (i.  i.  12;  iii.  3.  10)  'without  cir- 
cumlocution', and  (iv.  i.  32)  literally 
'  straight  on'. 

drachma  (iii.  2.  247),  a  Greek 
coin.  See  note  sub  loc. 


earn.    See  yearn. 

element  (i.  3.  128),  air,  sky. 
Everything  was  supposed  to  be 
composed  of  various  proportions  of 
the  four  elements,  viz.  earth,  air, 
water,  fire;  and  the  term  is  more 
particularly  employed  for  'air'. 
At  v.  5.  73,  elements— humours,  q.v. 

entertain  (v.  5.  60),  take  into 
service. 

envy  (ii.  i.  164),  hatred. 

exigent  (v.  i.  19),  exigency. 

exorcist  (ii.  i.  323),  conjurer, 
one  who  controls  spirits.  The 
more  correct  sense  is  'one  who 
expels  spirits '. 

factious  (i.  3.  118),  energetic, 
in  conjunction  with  others.  The 
modern  use  implies  wanton  and 
mischievous  energy,  as  also  in  our 
use  of  the  word  faction,  which,  at 
ii.  i.  77,  is  used  without  any  such 
sinister  senie. 

falling  sickness  (i.  2.  256), 
epilepsy.  The  name  is  used  in 
North. 

fatal  (v.  i.  88),  not  'causing 
doom '  but  '  ominous  of  doom '. 

favour  (i.  2.  91),  personal  ap- 
pearance. So  we  speak  of  '  well- 
favoured ',  '  ill-favoured ',  and  some- 
times of  '  favouring'  a  person  when 
we  mean  '  bearing  a  likeness  to'. 

fearful,  fearfulness  (i.  i.  80), 
condition  of  fear;  (v.  i.  10)  either 
'feeling  fear1  or  'causing  fear'; 
probably  the  former,  but  see  note 
sub  loc. 

fleering  (i.  3.  117),  mocking. 
The  word  is  of  Scandinavian  origin. 

fond  (iii.  i.  39),  foolish;  cf.  "a 
foolish  fond  old  man  "  (Lear).  This 
is  the  common  use  in  Shakespeare, 
and  '  fond '  is  still  used  locally  for 
'silly'.  The  sense  of  'doting  and 
unreasonable  affection '  comes  from 
this,  and  thence  simply  of  '  affec- 
tion '. 

formal  (ii.  i.  227),  dignified;  or 
perhaps  '  in  outward  appearance '. 


140 


JULIUS   OESAR. 


former  (v,  i.  80),  foremost; 
here  of  place ;  we  always  use  it  of 
time. 

gorge  (v.  i.  82),  feed,  the 
regular  term  for  the  manner  of 
feeding  of  birds  of  prey.  Fr.  gorge, 
throat. 

grief  (i.  3. 118,  &c.),  grievance. 

havoc  (iii.  i.  273),  equivalent  to 
'no  quarter'.  Der.  unknown,  but 
the  word  is  probably  O.  E.  hafoc, 
hawk.  Precisely  how  it  came  to 
be  used  as  an  exclamation  remains 
uncertain.  The  suggestion  is  that 
it  has  something  to  do  with  letting 
the  hawk  loose  on  the  quarry. 

heap  (i.  3.  23),  crowd,  cluster. 
Cf.  Richard  III.  ii.  i.  53, 
"Amongst  this  princely  heap". 
So  in  Henry  V.  and  Troilus. 

hoot  (i.  2.  245),  shout,  without 
any  sense  of  disapproval  as  now. 
The  word  represents  the  sound 
made,  like  'shout',  'boo  hoo',  'hue 
and  cry'. 

humour  (passim).  The  four 
'humours'  of  which  the  'com- 
plexion' (q.v.)  was  made  up  were 
'  blood,  phlegm,  choler,  and  melan- 
choly", and  were  referred  respec- 
tively to  the  four  'elements',  air, 
water,  fire,  earth.  While  the  hu- 
mours were  mixed  in  proper  pro- 
portion mind  and  body  were  in 
health;  any  disorder  of  the  humours 
resulted  in  some  form  of  ill-health. 
A  'humorous'  person  was  one  in 
whom  the  humours  were  not  duly 
mixed  (cf.  "elements",  v.  5.  73). 

hurtle  (ii.  2.  22),  properly  'dash', 
frequentative  form  of '  hurt ' ;  '  hurl ' 
is  another  form  of  the  same.  The 
idea  of  the  sound  (like  'rattle')  con- 
veyed by  the  word  seems  often  to 
predominate,  cf.  'hurly-burly'. 

ides  of  March;  the  isth  of  the 
month.  The  Romans  fixed  their 
dates  by  the  number  of  days  before 
the  Kalends  (ist),  Nones  ($th  or 


7th),  or  Ides  (i3th  or  i$th)  of  each 
month.  In  eight  months  the  nones 
and  ides  fell  on  the  5th  and  i3th;  in 
the  other  four — March,  May,  July, 
October — on  the  7th  and  15th. 

indirection  (iv.  3.  75),  indirect 
or  crooked  action,  i.e.  dishonesty. 

insuppressive  (ii.  i.  134),  in- 
suppressible;  the  active  form  used 
for  the  passive ;  like ' '  unexpressive ' ' 
(As  You  Like  It,  iii.  2.  10). 

jade  (iv.  2.  26),  an  ill-con- 
ditioned horse  (used  either  for  a 
vicious,  weak,  or  tired  animal, 
whence  the  modern  use  of '  jaded '). 
Der.  unknown. 

jealous  (i.  2.  71,  161),  distrust- 
ful. 'Jealous'  and  'zealous'  are 
primarily  the  same  word.  From 
the  special  application  to  a  lover 
came  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word 
implying  distrust  under  particular 
circumstances  ;  hence  '  distrust ' 
generally. 

kerchief  (ii.  i.  315),  head- 
covering  in  sickness,  as  opposed  to 
a  helmet  or  other  normal  head- 
gear for  a  man.  So,  '  napkin '  or 
'  shawl '.  Fr.  couvre-chef,  like  '  cur- 
few '  from  couvre-feu. 

kind  (i.  3.  64),  nature,  speci- 
fic qualities.  Hence  '  kindly '  = 
' natural'  in  the  Prayer  Book  phrase 
"the  kindly  fruits  of  the  earth". 
'  Kin '  is  from  the  same  root. 

knave  (iv.  3.  241),  boy,  ser- 
vant; whence  the  derivative  sense 
'  rogue ',  a  transition  to  which  com- 
pare 'varlet'  from  'valet'.  O.E. 
cnafa,  Germ,  knabe,  boy.  Pro- 
bably of  Celtic  origin,  from  a  time 
when  the  Teutonic  races  had  nu- 
merous Celtic  slaves. 

lethe  (iii.  i.  206),  life-blood— 
if  the  reading  is  correct.  But  there 
is  no  satisfactory  explanation.  Pro- 
bably it  has  something  to  do  either 
with  Lat.  letum,  'death',  or 
Lethe,  one  of  the  rivers  of  the  in- 
fernal regions. 


GLOSSARY. 


141 


liable  to  (i.  2.  199;  ii.  2.  104), 
compatible  with.  In  the  second 
passage,  "reason  to  my  love  is 
Hable  ",  Decius  does  not  mean  that 
his  love  'overcomes  reason',  for 
he  wishes  to  show  that  reason  and 
his  affection  agree.  Lat.  ligare,  tie 
— '  attached  to '. 

lief  (i.  2.  95),  readily,  willingly. 
Pronounced  very  like  'live'.  O.E. 
ledf,  dear,  Germ.  lieb. 

lover  (iii.  2.  13,  &c.),  friend. 
The  restricted  modern  sense  was  in 
frequent  use,  but  had  not  become 
exclusive. 

Lupercal  (i.  i.  72,  &c.),  a  Roman 
festival  held  on  Feb.  15,  being  in 
its  origin  a  pastoral  feast  of  purifi- 
cation; and  the  due  performance 
of  the  rites  was  supposed  to  have 
a  fertilizing  result.  See  i.  2  gener- 
ally, and  especially  line  4  and  note. 

marry  (i.  2.  265),  an  exclamation, 
corrupted  from  '  by  Mary',  though 
this  origin  was  too  completely 
forgotten  for  the  anachronism  in 
Casca's  mouth  to  be  remarkable. 

mart  (iv.  3.  n),  barter.  The 
verb  has  fallen  out  of  use.  It  occurs 
in  Winter 's  Tale  and  Cymbeline. 

may:  (i)  =  can;  (2)  hence  with 
a  sense  of  permission,  lawfulness. 
But  the  sense  of  ability  simply, 
when  'can'  would  be  a  precise 
equivalent,  is  common.  This  earlier 
sense  of  the  root  is  seen  in  the  word 
'  might '  =  power.  (Abbott,  Sh. 
Gr.  307-313-) 

mechanical  (i.  i.  3),  employed 
in  handicrafts,  working  with  tools. 

metal,  mettle,  the  same  word, 
but  one  way  of  spelling  it  came  to 
be  applied  to  the  literal  material, 
the  other  to  the  metaphorical  use 
for  '  spirit '.  So  '  then '  and  '  than ', 
'queen'  and  'quean',  &c.  &c.,  have 
been  differentiated  by  usage. 

mischief  (iii.  i.  93,  &c.),  harm 
generally.  O.  F.  meschief,  bad 
result,  from  chef,  Lat.  caput. 


morrow  (ii.  i.  87).  The  same 
word  as  'morn',  the  early  form 
being  either  morwe  or  morwen. 
So  in  Scotland  '  the  morn's  mcrn ' 
—  ' to-morrow  morning';  of  which 
1  good-morrow '  =  '  good-morning ' 
is  the  converse. 

mutiny  (iii.  i.  86),  disturbance. 
Lat.  motus,  movere,  move. 

neat  (i.  i.  29),  kine.  Cf.  'neat- 
herd'. 

nice :  Lat.  nescius,  ignorant ;  so 
(2)  '  foolish  ',  or  of  things  'trivial', 
iv.  3.  8,  "  Every  nice  offence";  (3) 
•fastidious';  (4)  'dainty'  and  so 
'  pleasant '. 

niggard  (iv.  3.  228):  verb,  'treat 
in  a  niggardly  way'.  So  only  in 
Shakespeare. 

note  (iv.  3.  2),  publicly  repri- 
mand, brand  (metaphorically).  Lat. 
notare,  to  mark.  The  word  in  this 
sense  is  borrowed  from  North. 

occupation  (i.  2.  269),  trade. 

offal  (i.  3.  109),  off- fall;  so 
'waste'. 

once  (iv.  3.  191),  some  day. 

orchard  (ii.  i),  O.E.  wyrt,  M.E. 
wort,  plant ;  and  yard,  garden. 

orts  (iv.  i.  37),  leavings.  O.E. 
or  —  out,  and  eat ;  so  ort  —  or  ete, 
what  is  left  after  eating.  (Skeat.) 

palter  (ii.  i.  126),  shuffle;  con- 
nected with  '  paltry ' ;  perhaps  from 
the  notion  of  a  huckster  haggling 
over  worthless  wares. 

passion  (i.  2.  48),  emotion,  or 
'  feeling '  of  any  kind. 

peevish  (v.  i.  61),  whining; 
conveying  generally  any  of  the  dis- 
agreeable ideas  connected  with 
childishness.  Formed  from  the 
sound  made  by  a  fretful  child.  Cf. 
'  peewit '. 

physical  (ii.  i.  261),  good  for  the 
health. 

pitch  (i.  i.  78),  a  technical  term 
for  the  height  to  which  the  falcon 


142 


JULIUS   C^SAR. 


soars  in  order  to  stoop  on  the 
quarry. 

prefer  (v.  5.  62),  commend.  Cf. 
Merchant  of  Venice,  ii.  2. 155,  where 
Bassanio  plays  on  'prefer'  in  the 
sense  of  '  commend  ',  and  '  prefer- 
ment '  in  the  sense  of  '  advance- 
ment'. 

presently  (iii.  i.  28,  &c.)f  forth- 
with, without  delay.  Softened 
down  in  modern  use  (as  '  anon'  had 
already  been  softened)  to  '  after  a 
little  delay '. 

prevent  (ii.  i.  28),  be  beforehand, 
anticipate.  Lat.  prae,  venire,  come 
before.  So  the  Collect,  ' '  Prevent 
us,  O  Lord,  in  all  our  doings". 
The  modern  sense  is  derivative. 

prodigious  (i.  3.  77),  porten- 
tous, though  with  a  suggestion  of 
the  idea  of  '  hugeness ',  which  has 
supplanted  the  stricter  use,  pre- 
cisely as  has  occurred  with  '  mon- 
strous '.  Lat.  prodigium,  omen. 

proof  (ii.  i.  21),  experience,  i.e. 
something  that  experience  has 
proved. 

proper  (v.  3.  96),  own.  So 
'own  proper'  frequently  —  very  own. 
(Fr.  propre,  own).  Hence  (i.  2.  41) 
'appropriate',  'belonging  to';  so 
'suitable',  and  hence  (i.  i.  28) 
'handsome',  'goodly'. 

property  (iv.  i.  40),  tool,  i.e. 
something  not  capable  of  indepen- 
dent action.  Cf.  the  modern  tech- 
nical use  of  '  stage  properties'. 

protester  (i.  2.  74),  one  who 
protests  friendship.  The  word  be- 
longed to  the  fashionable  slang  of 
Shakespeare's  day. 

quarrel  (ii.  i.  28),  argument. 
Lat.  querela,  complaint ;  hence, 
'a  plea  in  court';  hence  'subject  of 
dispute','  protest',  and  the  'dispute' 
itself. 

question  (iv.  3.  165),  discussion. 
In  iii.  2.  41,  and  elsewhere,  there  is 
an  additional  idea  of  controversy. 

quick  (i.  2.  29),  lively.  The 
primary  meaning  is  merely  '  alive ', 


as  in  the  phrase  "the  quick  and 
the  dead",  "  the  earth  opened  and 
swallowed  them  up  quick  ".  Hence 
'  lively' ;  hence  the  ordinary  modern 
sense  'rapid'. 

range  (ii.  i.  118;  iii.  i.  270), 
move  up  and  down;  from  the 
movements  of  troops  when  setting 
themselves  in  rank,  'arranging' 
themselves.  So  a  '  ranger '  is  one 
who  sets  in  order.  Connected 
with  '  ring'  and  '  rank'. 

rank  (iii.  i.  152),  in  need  of  the 
surgeon's  knife ;  from  the  sense  of 
'  festering ',  which  arises  from  a  con- 
fusion between  O.E.  ranc,  strong, 
and  O.  F.  ranee,  Lat.  rancidus, 
1  foul '. 

rascal  (iv.  3.  80),  a  term  pro- 
perly applied  to  a  deer  out  of  con- 
dition ;  thence  developed  into  a 
general  term  of  abuse  in  the  same 
sort  of  way  as  'jade'  has  been 
treated. 

regard  (iii.  i.  224),  considera- 
tion, reason. 

remorse  (ii.  i.  19),  pity;  pro- 
perly the  '  repeated  biting '  of  con- 
science, from  Lat.  re-mordere,  bite. 

repeal  (iii.  i.  51),  recall;  Fr. 
rapeier,  Lat.  re-appetlare. 

replication  (i.  i.  51),  echoing, 
repetition;  Lat.  rephcare,  fold. 

resolved  (iii.  i.  131,  &c.)f  satis- 
fied. So  very  commonly. 

respect  (i.  i.  10),  in  comparison 
with ;  (i.  2.  59)  repute. 

rote  (iv.  3.  98),  lit.  a  beaten 
track.  The  same  word  as  'route', 
a  way  beaten  or  broken  through 
forest.  See  rout. 

rout  (i.  2.  78),  mob,  herd ; 
otherwise  the  breaking  up  of  an 
army.  The  idea  of  disorder  and  of 
mixture,  where  ranks  are  not  ob- 
served, is  the  predominant  one. 
Lat.  r upturn,  broken. 

rumour  (ii.  4.  18),  noise;  so 
King  John,  v.  4.  45.  Lat.  rumor, 
report ;  the  word  may  have  origin- 


GLOSSARY. 


ally  expressed  the  notion  of  '  con- 
fusfed  sound',  but  it  is  not  so  used 
classically. 

scandal  (i.  2.  76),  as  a  verb  has 
dropped  out.  '  Scandal '  and  '  slan- 
der' are  both  derived  from  Gr. 
«-*«»J*A*v,  stumbling-block.  The 
forms  leading  up  to  'slander'  are 
instructive:  scandele,  escandele,  es- 
candle,  esclandre. 

schedule  (iii.  i.  3),  note,  piece 
of  paper.  Lat.  schedula. 

security  (ii.  3.  6),  confidence. 
So  Judges,  viii.  2,  "And  Gideon... 
smote  the  host;  for  the  host  was 
secure,"  i.e.  unsuspecting.  Lat.  se 
(privative),  cura,  care. 

sennet  (i.  2.  24),  a  particular  set 
of  notes  on  a  trumpet.  More  is  not 
known,  nor  is  the  derivation. 

shadow  (i.  2.  58),  reflection,  as 
in  the  fable  of  '  The  Dog  and  his 
Shadow '. 

shrewd  (ii.  i.  158;  iii.  i.  146), 
crafty,  keen.  O.  E.  sehrewe,  wicked, 
sharp  (cf.  "the  air  bites  shrewdly"); 
hence  'cunning',  and  so  simply 
'  acute '  without  any  sinister  sense. 
So  '  to  beshrew'  is  '  to  abuse'. 

slanderous  (iv.  i.  20),  calumni- 
ous. See  scandal. 

smatch  (v.  5.  46),  smack,  taste. 

speed  {i.  2.  88),  prosper  (trans.). 
This,  and  the  corresponding  sense 
of  the  substantive,  are  very  com- 
mon. '  Rapid  movement '  and 
'  success '  are  primary  senses  of  the 
word. 

stare  (iv.  3.  280),  stand  stiff. 
Fixity  is  the  primary  idea  of  the 
word;  connected  with  'stand', 
Lat.  stare. 

strain  (v.  i.  59),  race.  O.E. 
strednan,  'beget'. 

success  (ii.  2.  6;  v.  3.  65),  for- 
tune, whether  good  or  bad.  Like 
1  fortune '  and  '  luck '  the  word 
gradually  acquired  the  favourable 
sense  in  place  of  the  undecided  one. 
Lat.  succedere,  follow. 


sway  (i.  3.  3),  established  order. 

thews  (i.  3.  81),  muscles;  in 
Chaucer  and  Middle  English  '  man- 
ners '.  Probably  there  are  two  quite 
distinct  words,  one  connected  with 
the  O.E.  word  for  'manners',  the 
other  with  'thigh'  and  kindred 
words. 

thorough  (iii.  i.  136;  v.  i.  no), 
through.  The  words  are  the  same, 
the  o  merely  representing  the  in- 
definite vowel  sound  before  r.  The 
two  spellings  were  differentiated 
to  the  two  uses  of  the  word,  as 
with  'then',  'than',  &c. 

trash  (iv.  3.  74),  Scand.  '  broken 
sticks ' ;  so  '  rubbish '.  '  Crash'  ap- 
pears to  be  from  the  same  root; 
'  trash '  being  '  what  is  cracked '. 

ventures  (iv.  3.  224),  that  which 
is  adventured,  more  especially  on 
board  ship;  and  so  sometimes  of 
the  vessels  themselves. 

vouchsafe  (iii.  i.  130),  guar- 
antee, avouch  secure.  So,  from 
persons  in  absolute  authority  being 
the  only  ones  who  can  give  such 
security,  which  involves  condescen- 
sion, it  comes  to  mean  'condescend 
to  grant',  or(ii.  i.  313)  'condescend 
to  receive',  or  simply  'condescend'. 

wafture (ii.  i.  246),  waving.  The 
word  does  not  occur  elsewhere. 

warn  (v.  i.  5),  summon.  Cf. 
King  John,  ii.  i.  201,  "  Who  is  it 
that  hath  warned  us  to  the  walls?" 

while,  time,  possessive  whiles, 
both  used  adverbially.  Cf.  '  needs 
must'.  * 

whit  (ii.  i.  148),  thing.  O.E. 
wiht\  the  same  word  as  'wight'. 
Na  whit  contracts  to  '  naught  . 

yearn  (ii.  2.  129),  grieve;  M.E. 
ermen,  grieve,  with  prefix^-.  Of 
frequent  occurrence.  The  word 
must  be  carefully  distinguished  from 
yearn  —  long,  O.  E.  gyrnan,  con- 
nected with  Gr.  x*''^v»  rejoice. 


GENERAL  INDEX  TO  THE   NOTES. 


jEneas,  i.  2.  112. 

anachronisms,  ii.  i.  191 ;  ii.  4.  22 ;  iv. 

3-  252. 

Anchises,  i.  2.  113. 
Ate,  iii.  i.  271. 
"augurers",  ii.  i.  200. 

Bacon  quoted,  ii.  i.  203. 
"bear  me  hard",  i.  2.  317. 
Ben  Jonson's  criticism,  iii.  i.  47. 
Browning  quoted,  i.  2.  100. 

Caesar's  gardens,  iii.  2.  254. 

Caesar's  ghost,  iv.  3.  274. 

Caesar's  swimming  powers,  i.  2.  100. 

Cato,  ii.  i.  295. 

"ceremonies",  i.  i.  70;  i.  2.  ii ;  ii.  i. 

197. 
Colossus,  i.  2.  136. 

double  negative,  ii.  i.  237;  iii.  i.  154; 
iv.  3.  177. 

Elizabethan  dress,  i.  2.  267 ;  i.  3.  48 ; 

ii.  i.  262. 

Epicurus,  v.  i.  77. 
Erebus,  ii.  i.  84. 
ethic  dative,  i.  2.  267;  iii.  3.  20. 

"  genius  and  mortal  instruments",  ii.  i. 

66-69. 
gerundial  infinitive,  ii  i.  135;  ii.  2.  119; 

iii.  2.  108. 

grammatical  errors,  i.  3.  76;  ii.  2.  i. 
great  flood,  i.  2.  152. 

"humours",  ii.  i.  250. 
Hybla,  v.  i.  34. 

ides  of  March,  i.  2.  18. 

idiomatic  use  of  plural,  L  2.  42;  ii.  1. 148. 

Johnson  quoted,  ii.  i.  66-69. 
"lethe",  iii.  i.  206. 


lion  in  the  Capitol,  i.  3.  25. 

Lucius  Junius  Brutus,  i.  2.  159;  i.  3. 

146;  ii.  i.  53. 
Lupercal,  i.  i.  72;  iii.  2.  100. 

metaphor  from  the  foot-race,  i.  2.  130. 
Nervii,  iii.  2.  177. 

omission  of  preposition,  i.  i.  47 ;  i.  2. 

no. 
omission  of  tot  i.  i.  3 ;  iii.  i.  140:  iv. 

3-  7f. 
owls,  i.  3.  26. 

plural  verb  with  singular  subject,  v.  1.33. 
Plutarch  quoted,  i.   i.  init.\  i.  2.  4, 

«9,  193*  2is;  »•  3-  zs;  «•  *•  3«; 

ii.  3.   init.\  iii.  2.  78;  iii.  3.  init.\ 

iv.  3.  init.\  iv.  3.  40,  69,  124,  131; 

v.  passim. 
Pompey,  i.  i.  56. 
Pompey's  porch,  i.  3.  126. 
puns,  i.  i.  ii,  26,  28;  i.  2.  95,  156;  i.  3. 

101;  iii.  i.  208,  289. 

rhymed  couplet,  i.  2.  325-6 ;  ii.  3.  15-6. 
rivers  personified,  i.  i.  50. 

singular  verb  with  plural  subject,  iii.  2. 

29. 

"spoil",  iii.  i.  206. 
Steevens  quoted,  ii.  i.  205. 
suicide,  v.  i.  101-108. 

"that.. as",  i.  2.  33;  iii.  x.  155. 

'  thou '  and  '  you ',  ii.  3.  7,  8. 
"tide  of  times",  iii.  i.  257. 

variant  readings,  i.  i.  26,  28 ;  i.  2.  72, 
160;  i.  3.  21,  65,  129;  ii.  i.  59,  83;  ii. 
2.  19 ;  iii.  i.  38,  75,  174,  262,  iii.  2. 
205;  iv.  i.  37;  iv.  3.  28. 

Vergil  quoted,  ii.  i.  230;  v.  i-  34. 


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waste  of  time  in  dealing  with  unimportant  matters  of  detail. 
Cloth.     166  pages.     Illustrated.     Price,  25  cents. 

D.    C.    HEATH    &    CO.,    Publishers 

BOSTON  NEW    YORK  CHICAGO 


TENNYSON 


THE  PRINCESS 

Edited  with  introduction,  notes,  biographical  outline,  and  bibliography  b) 
ANDREW  J.  GEORGE,  A.  M.,  editor  of  "  Select  Poems  of  Words- 
worth," "Select  Poems  of  Burns,"  etc 

The  Princess  marks  the  beginning  of  a  new  period  of  Tennyson's  work ; 
the  period  which  produced  also  In  Memoriam,  Maud,  and  the  Idyls. 
It  lacks  nothing  of  the  lyric  and  picturesque  qualities  of  the  earlier  poems, 
and,  in  addition,  contains  the  germ  of  that  political  and  ethical  philosophy 
which  is  the  distinctive  note  of  Tennyson  in  the  life  of  the  century. 

This  edition  is  an  interpretative  study  of  the  thought  and  the  literary 
merits  of  the  poem,  and  contains  the  complete  text.     The  notes  are  ex- 
cellent and  will  draw  the  student  into  broader  fields  of  study. 
Cloth*     217  pages.     Illustrated.     Price,  40  cents. 

THE  PRINCESS.     Briefer  Edition 

The  matter  included  in  this  volume  is  identical  in  the  introduction  and 
text  with  Mr.  George's  larger  book  described  above.  The  notes,  however, 
are  condensed  and  abridged. 

Cloth.     144  pages.     Illustrated.     Price,  25  cents. 

ENOCH  ARDEN 

Edited  by  CALVIN  S.   BROWN,  A.  M. 

Has  the  latest  text  with  an  introduction,  a  chapter  on  prototypes  of 
Enoch  Arden,  and  notes.  This  volume  also  contains  the  text  of  Locksley 
Hall  and  Locksley  Hall  Sixty  Years  After,  with  analyses  and  notes. 

In  preparing  these  notes,  Tennyson  has  been  made  his  own  interpreter 
wherever  possible.  Brief  critical  extracts  are  given,  and  there  i?  a  bibliog- 
raphy and  biographical  outline  of  Tennyson. 

Cloth.     152  pages.     Illustrated.     Price,  25  cents. 

PROLEGOMENA  TO  IN  MEMORIAM 

By  THOMAS  DAVIDSON,  LL.  D. 

The  author's  aim  has  been  to  bring  out  clearly  the  soul  problem  which 
forms  its  unity,  and  the  noble  solution  offered  by  the  poet.  The  work  is 
done  in  the  belief  that  In  Memoriam  is  not  only  the  greatest  English 
poem  of  the  century,  but  one  of  the  great  world  poems. 

The  index  of  the  poem  adds  to  the  resources  for  comparative  study. 
Cloth.     185  pages.     Price,  50  cents. 


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BOSTON  NEW    YORK  CHICAGO 


The   Divina  Commedia  and 
Canzoniere  of  Dante  Alighieri 

TRANSLATED   WITH   NOTES  AND   STUDIES,  BY  THE  LATE 

E.  H.  PLUMPTRE,  D.D.,  Deaniof  Wells 


The  industry,  erudition  and  sympathetic  imagination  of  the 
writer  place  a  large  accumulation  of  knowledge  at  the  disposal 
of  the  student  of  Dante,  and  fitly  complete  a  work,  regarding 
which  on  its  appearance  the  London  Spectator  observed  :  "  No 
book  about  Dante  has  been  published  that  will  stand  comparison 
with  Dean  Plumptre's." 

Churchman  (New  York)  :  —  The  Dean  has  enriched  the  English  language 
and  English  literature  with  a  translation  which  we  do  not  doubt  will  efface 
all  other  translations. 

The  Pall  Mall  Gazette:  —  Dean  Plumptre's  exact  learning,  indomitable  in- 
dustry, and  exhaustive  investigation  are  beyond  praise.  He  often  surprises 
us  and  sometimes  amazes  us  by  his  skilful  and  felicitous  rendering  of 
Dante's  thought  in  Dante's  own  expression  and  metre. 


A  NEW  EDITION  IN  FIVE  VOLUMES 

Pol.  i. —  HELL.     Vol.  it. —  PURGATORY.     Vol.  Hi. —  PARADISE, 
Vol.  iv. —  MINOR  POEMS.      Vol.  v.  —  STUDIES. 

Each  •volume  'with  Frontispiece,  and  Index  of  subject  and  names. 

Library    Edition :  —  Limp  cloth,    extra  gilt  lettered,  gilt  tops,  uncut  edges* 

Price  per  set,  $4.00. 
Students'   Edition:  —  Cloth,    i6mo,  uniform  with  Heath's   English   Classics, 

Price  per  single  volume,  50  cents. 


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